• 


mm 

•  ,  ^ 

W///v 


v  N^-' 


m 


u/nnFL 


IN  7\ 


STORY 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

4- 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


THE    BIRDS'    CHRISTMAS    CAROL.      Illustrated. 

Square  i2mo,  boards,  50  cents. 
THE  STORY  OF  PATSY.     Illustrated.    Square  i2mo, 

boards,  60  cents. 
A  SUMMER  IN  A  CANON.     Illustrated.     Crown  8vo, 

$1.50. 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  CO. 

BOSTON   AND   NEW  YORK. 


A    SUMMER   IN    A   CANON 


A  CALIFORNIA   STORY 


KATE  DOUGLAS  WIGGIN 

AUTHOR    OF   "  THE    BIRDS'  CHRISTMAS  CAROL,"    "  THE  STORY  OF  PATSY,"  ETC. 


rk 


BOSTON    AND    NEW   YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN   AND   COMPANY 


Copyright,  1889, 
BY  KATE  DOUGLAS  WIGGIN. 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Co. 


Bancroft  Library 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE 1 

CHAPTER  II. 
THE  JOURNEY 32 

CHAPTER  III. 

LIFE  IN  THE  CANON.  —  THE  HEIR  APPARENT  LOSES 
HIMSELF 63 

CHAPTER  IV. 
RHYME  AND  REASON 99 

CHAPTER  V. 
THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  —  GOOD  NEWS 133 

CHAPTER  VL 
QUEEN  ELSIE  VISITS  THE  COURT 164 

CHAPTER  VH. 
POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY  :  FIRST  HALF 188 

CHAPTER  VIH. 
POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY  :  SECOND  HALF 203 


iv  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
ROUND  THE  CAMP-FIRE 232 

CHAPTER  X. 
MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES 249 

CHAPTER  XL 
BREAKING  CAMP  ......  ...    268 


SCENE  :  A  Camping  Ground  in  the  Canon  Las  Flores. 

PEOPLE  IN   THE   TENTS. 

DR.  PAUL  WINSHIP Mine  Host. 

MRS.  TRUTH  WINSHIP  ....  The  Guardian  Angel. 

DICKY  WINSHIP A  Small  Scamp  of  Six  Years. 

BELL  WINSHIP The  Camp  Poetess. 

POLLY  OLIVER A  Sweet  but  Saucy  Lass. 

MARGERY  NOBLE A  Nut-Brown  Mayde. 

PHILIP  NOBLE The  Useful  Member. 

GEOFFREY  STRONG        .    .    .     .  A  Harvard  Boy. 
JACK  HOWARD Prince  of  Mischief- 
Hop  YET A  Heathen  Chinee. 

PANCHO  GUTIERREZ      •    •    .    .  A  Mexican  man-of-all-work. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

"  One  to  make  ready,  and  two  to  prepare." 

IT  was  nine  o'clock  one  sunny  California 
morning,  and  Geoffrey  Strong  stood  under 
the  live-oak  trees  in  Las  Flores  Canon,  with  a 
pot  of  black  paint  in  one  hand  and  a  huge 
brush  in  the  other.  He  could  have  handled 
these  implements  to  better  purpose  and  with 
better  grace  had  not  his  arms  been  firmly  held 
by  three  laughing  girls,  who  pulled  not  wisely, 
but  too  well.  He  was  further  incommoded  by 
the  presence  of  a  small  urchin  who  lay  on  the 


2  PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

dusty  ground  beneath  his  feet,  fastening  an 
upward  clutch  on  the  legs  of  his  trousers. 

There  were  three  large  canvas  tents  directly 
in  front  of  them,  yet  no  one  of  these  seemed 
to  be  the  object  of  dissension,  but  rather  a  red 
wood  board,  some  three  feet  in  length,  which 
was  nailed  on  a  tree  near  by. 

"  Camp  Frolic  !  Please  let  us  name  it  Camp 
Frolic  ! "  cried  Bell  Winship,  with  a  persuasive 
twitch  of  her  cousin's  sleeve. 

"  No,  no ;  not  Camp  Frolic,"  pleaded  Polly 
Oliver.  "  Pray/pray  let  us  have  Camp  Ha-Ha ; 
my  heart  is  set  upon  it." 

"As  you  are  Strong,  be  merciful,"  quoted 
Margery  Noble,  coaxingly;  "take  my  advice 
and  call  it  Harmony  Camp." 

At  this  juncture,  a  lovely  woman,,  whose 
sweet  face  and  smile  made  you  love  her  at 
once,  came  up  the  hill  from  the  brookside. 
"  What,  what !  still  quarreling,  children  ?  " 
she  asked,  laughingly.  "  Let  me  be  peacemaker. 
I  've  just  asked  the  Doctor  for  a  name,  and  he 
suggests  Camp  Chaparral.  What  do  you  say  ?  " 

Bell  released  one  coat-tail.  "  That  is  n't 
wholly  bad,"  she  said,  critically,  while  the 
other  girls  clapped  their  hands  with  approval ; 
for  anything  that  aunt  Truth  suggested  was 
sure  to  be  quite  right. 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.  3 

"Wait  a  minute,  good  people,"  cried  Jack 
Howard,  flinging  his  fishing  tackle  under  a 
tree  and  sauntering  toward  the  scene  of  action. 
"  Suppose  we  have  a  referee,  a  wise  and  noble 
judge.  Call  Hop  Yet,  and  let  him  decide  this 
all-important  subject." 

His  name  being  sung  and  shouted  in  vari 
ous  keys  by  the  assembled  company,  Hop  Yet 
appeared  at  the  door  of  the  brush  kitchen,  a 
broad  grin  on  his  countenance,  a  plucked  fowl 
in  his  hand. 

Geoffrey  took  the  floor.  "  Now,  Hop  Yet, 
you  know  I  got  name,  you  got  name,  everybody 
got  name.  We  want  name  this  camp :  you 
sabe  ?  Miss  Bell,  she  say  Camp  Frolic.  Frolic 
all  same  heap  good  time  "  (here  he  executed  a 
sort  of  war-dance  which  was  intended  to  ex 
press  wild  joy).  "  Miss  Pauline,  she  say  Camp 
Ha-Ha,  big  laugh  :  sabe  ?  Ha !  ha !  ha  !  ha ! 
ha  !  ha  !  "  (chorus  joined  in  by  all  to  fully  illus 
trate  the  subject).  "  Miss  Madge,  she  say  Camp 
Harmony.  Harmony  all  same  heap  quiet  time, 
plenty  eat,  plenty  drink,  plenty  sleep,  no  fight, 
no  too  muchee  talk.  Mrs.  Winship,  she  say 
Camp  Chaparral :  you  sabe  ?  Chaparral,  Hop 
Yet.  Now  what  you  say  ?  " 

Hop  Yet  seemed  to  regard  the  question  with 
mingled  embarrassment  and  amusement,  but 


4  PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

being  a  sharp  and  talkative  Chinaman  gave 
his  answer  promptly  :  "  Me  say  Camp  Chap-lal 
heap  good  name ;  plenty  chap-lal  all  lound ;  me 
hang  um  dish-cloth,  tow'l,  little  boy's  stocking 
on  chap-lal;  all  same  clo'se-line  velly  good. 
Miss  Bell  she  flolic,  Miss  Polly  she  ha!  ha! 
allee  same  Camp  Chap-lal." 

And  so  Camp  Chaparral  it  was ;  the  redwood 
board  flaunted  the  assertion  before  the  eyes  of 
the  public  (which  was  a  rather  limited  one,  to 
be  sure)  in  less  than  half  an  hour,  and  the 
artist,  after  painting  the  words  in  rustic  letters 
a  foot  long,  cut  branches  of  the  stiff,  ungra 
cious  bushes  and  nailed  them  to  the  tree  in 
confirmation  and  illustration  of  the  fact.  He 
then  carefully  deposited  the  paint-pot  in  a 
secret  place,  where  it  might  be  out  of  sight 
and  touch  of  a  certain  searching  eye  and  mis 
chievous  hand  well  known  and  feared  of  him ; 
but  before  the  setting  sun  had  dropped  below 
the  line  of  purple  mountain  tops,  a  small  boy, 
who  will  be  known  in  these  annals  as  Dicky 
Winship,  might  have  been  seen  sitting  on  the 
empty  paint-pot,  while  from  a  dingy  pool  upon 
the  ground  he  was  attempting  to  paint  a  copy 
of  the  aforesaid  inscription  upon  the  side  of  a 
too  patient  goat,  who  saw  no  harm  in  the  oper 
ation.  He  was  alone  and  very,  very  happy. 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.  5 

And  now  I  must  tell  you  the  way  in  which 
all  this  began.  You  may  not  realize  it,  dear 
young  folks,  but  this  method  of  telling  a  story 
is  very  much  the  fashion  with  grown-up  peo 
ple,  and  of  course  I  am  not  to  blame,  since 
I  did  n't  begin  it. 

The  plan  is  this:  You  must  first  write  a 
chapter  showing  all  your  people,  men,  women, 
children,  dogs,  and  cats,  in  a  certain  place, 
doing  certain  things.  Then  you  must  go  back 
a  year  or  two  and  explain  how  they  all  hap 
pen  to  be  there.  Perhaps  you  may  have  to 
drag  your  readers  twenty-five  years  into  the 
regions  of  the  past,  and  show  them  the  first 
tooth  of  your  oldest  character ;  but  that  does  n't 
matter  a  bit,  — -the  further  the  better.  Then, 
when  everybody  has  forgotten  what  came  to 
pass  in  the  first  chapter,  you  are  ready  to  take 
it  up  again,  as  if  there  had  never  been  any 
parenthesis.  However,  I  shall  not  introduce 
you  to  the  cradles,  cribs,  or  trundle-beds  of  my 
merry  young  campers,  but  merely  ask  you  to 
retrace  your  steps  one  week,  and  look  upon 
them  in  their  homes. 

On  one  of  the  pleasantest  streets  of  a  cer 
tain  little  California  town  stood,  and  still 
stands  for  aught  I  know,  a  pretty  brown  cot 
tage,  with  its  verandas  covered  with  passion- 


6  PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

vine  and  a  brilliant  rose-garden  in  front.  It 
is  picturesque  enough  to  attract  the  attention 
of  any  passer-by,  and  if  you  had  chosen  to 
peep  through  the  crevices  in  the  thick  vines 
and  look  in  at  the  open  window,  you  might 
have  thought  it  lovelier  within  than  without. 

It  was  a  bright  day,  and  the  gracious  June 
sunshine  flooded  the  room  with  yellow  light. 
Three  young  girls,  perhaps  fourteen  or  fifteen 
years  old,  were  seated  in  different  parts  of  the 
large  room,  plying  industrious  crochet  needles 
and  tatting  shuttles.  Three  pairs  of  bright 
eyes  were  dancing  with  fun  and  gladness  ;  and 
another  pair,  the  softest  and  clearest  of  all, 
looked  out  from  a  broad  white  bed  in  the  cor 
ner, —  tired  eyes,  and  oh,  so  patient,  for  the 
health-giving  breezes  wafted  in  from  the  blue 
ocean  and  carried  over  mountain  tops  and  vine- 
covered  slopes  had  so  far  failed  to  bring  back 
Elsie  Howard's  strength  and  vigor. 

The  graceful,  brown-haired  girl,  with  the 
bright,  laughter-loving  face,  was  Bell  Winship. 
She  of  the  dancing  blue  eyes,  pink  cheeks,  and 
reckless  little  sun-bonnet  was  Pauline,  otherwise 
Polly  Oliver.  Did  you  ever  know  a  Polly 
without  some  one  of  these  things?  Well, 
my  Polly  had  them  all,  and,  besides,  a  saucy 
freckled  nose,  a  crown  of  fluffy,  reddish-yellow 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.  1 

hair,  and  a  shower  of  coaxing  little  pitfalls 
called  dimples  round  her  pretty  mouth.  She 
made  you  think  of  a  sunbeam,  a  morning  song 
bird,  a  dancing  butterfly,  or  an  impetuous  little 
crocus  just  out  after  the  first  spring  shower. 
Dislike  her?  You  could  n't.  Approve  of  her? 
You  would  n't  always.  Love  her  ?  Of  course ; 
you  could  n't  help  yourself,  —  I  defy  you. 

To  be  sure,  if  you  prefer  a  quiet  life,  and  do 
not  want  to  be  led  into  exploits  of  all  kinds, 
invariably  beginning  with  risk,  attended  with 
danger,  and  culminating  in  despair,  you  had 
better  not  engage  in  an  intimate  friendship 
with  Miss  Pauline  Oliver,  but  fix  your  affections 
on  the  quiet,  thoughtful,  but  not  less  lovable  girl 
who  sits  by  the  bedside  stroking  Elsie  Howard's 
thin  white  hand.  Nevertheless,  I  am  obliged 
to  state  that  Margery  Noble  herself,  earnest, 
demure,  and  given  to  reflection,  was  Polly's 
willing  slave  and  victim.  However,  I  've  for 
gotten  to  tell  you  that  Polly  was  as  open  and 
frank  as  the  daylight,  at  once  torrid  and  con 
stant  in  her  affections,  brave,  self-forgetting 
as  well  as  self-willed ;  and  that  though  she  did 
have  a  tongue  just  the  least  bit  saucy,  she  used 
it  valiantly  in  the  defense  of  others.  "  She  '11 
come  out  all  right,"  said  a  dear  old-fashioned 
grandfather  of  hers  whom  she  had  left  way 


8  PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

back  in  a  Vermont  farmhouse.  "  She 's  got 
to  be  purged  o'  considerable  dross,  but  she  '11 
come  out  pure  gold,  I  tell  you." 

Pretty,  wise,  tender  Margery  Noble,  with  her 
sleek  brown  braids,  her  innocent,  questioning 
eyes,  her  soft  voice,  willing  hands,  and  shy, 
quiet  manners !  "  She  will  either  end  as  the 
matron  of  an  orphan  asylum  or  as  head  nurse 
in  a  hospital."  So  Bell  Winship  often  used  to 
say;  but  then  she  was  chiefly  celebrated  for 
talking  nonsense,  and  nobody  ever  paid  much 
attention  to  her.  But  if  you  should  crave  a 
breath  of  fresh  air,  or  want  to  believe  that  the 
spring  has  come,  just  call  Bell  Winship  in,  as 
she  walks  with  her  breezy  step  down  the  street. 
Her  very  hair  seems  instinct  with  life,  with  its 
flying  tendrils  of  bronze  brightness  and  the 
riotous  little  curls  on  her  brow  and  temples. 
Then,  too,  she  has  a  particularly  jaunty  way 
of"  putting  on  her  jacket,  or  wearing  a  flower 
or  a  ribbon ;  and  as  for  her  ringing  peal  of 
laughter,  it  is  like  a  chime  of  silver  bells. 

Elsie  Howard,  the  invalid  friend  of  the  girls, 
was  as  dear  to  them  as  they  were  to  each  other. 
She  kept  the  secrets  of  the  "  firm ; "  mourned 
over  their  griefs  and  smiled  over  their  joys ; 
was  proud  of  their  talents  and  tenderly  blind 
jto  their  faults.  The  little  wicker  rocking-chair 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.  9 

by  the  bedside  was  often  made  a  sort  of  con 
fessional,  at  which  she  presided,  the  tenderest 
and  most  sympathetic  little  priestess  in  the  uni 
verse  ;  and  every  afternoon  the  piazza,  with  its 
lattice  of  green  vines,  served  as  a  mimic  throne- 
room,  where  she  was  wont  to  hold  high  court, 
surrounded  by  her  devoted  subjects.  Here 
Geoffrey  Strong  used  often  to  read  to  the  as 
sembled  company  "  David  Copperfield,"  "  Alice 
in  Wonderland,"  or  snatches  from  the  maga 
zines,  while  Jack  Howard  lazily  stretched  him 
self  under  the  orange-trees  and  braided  lariats, 
a  favorite  occupation  with  California  boys. 
About  four  o'clock  Philip  Noble  would  ride 
up  from  his  father's  fruit  ranch,  some  three 
miles  out  on  the  San  Marcos  road,  and,  hitch 
ing  his  little  sorrel  mare  Chispa  at  the  gate, 
stay  an  hour  before  going  to  the  post-office. 

.This  particular  afternoon,  however,  was  not 
one  of  Elsie's  bright  ones,  and  there  was  no 
sign  of  court  or  invalid  queen  on  the  piazza. 
The  voices  of  the  girls  floated  out  from  Elsie's 
bedroom,  while  the  boys,  too,  seemed  to  be 
somewhere  in  the  vicinity,  for  there  was  a  con 
stant  stirring  about  as  of  lively  preparation, 
together  with  noise  of  hammering  and  sawing. 
"  If  you  were  only  going,  Elsie,  our  cup  of 
happiness  would  be  full,"  sighed  Bell. 


10          PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

66  Not  only  would  it  be  full,  Bell,  but  it  would 
be  running  over,  and  we  should  positively  stand 
in  the  slop,"  said  Polly.  "  No,  you  need  n't 
frown  at  me,  miss ;  that  expression  is  borrowed 
from  no  less  a  person  than  Sydney  Smith." 

"  Don't  think  any  more  about  me,"  smiled 
Elsie.  "  Perhaps  I  can  come  down  in  the 
course  of  the  summer.  I  know  it  will  be 
the  happiest  time  in  the  world,  but  I  don't 
envy  you  a  bit ;  in  fact,  I  'm  very  glad  you  're 
going,  because  you  '11  have  such  a  lovely  budget 
of  adventures  to  tell  me  when  you  come  back." 

"  When  we  come  back,  indeed !  "  exclaimed 
Bell.  "  Why,  we  shall  write  long  round-robin 
letters  every  few  days,  and  send  them  by  the 
team.  Papa  says  Pancho  will  have  to  go  over 
to  the  stage  station  at  least  once  a  week  for 
letters  and  any  provisions  we  may  need." 

"  Oh,  won't  that  be  delightful,  —  almost  as 
good  as  being  there  myself !  And,  Margery 
dear,  you  must  make  them  tell  me  every  least 
little  thing  that  happens.  You  know  they  are 
such  fly-aways  that  they  '11  only  write  me  when 
they  learn  to  swim,  or  shoot  a  wildcat,  or  get 
lost  in  the  woods.  I  want  to  know  all  the 
stupid  bits  :  what  you  have  for  dinner,  how 
and  where  you  sleep,  how  your  camp  looks, 
what  you  do  from  morning  till  night,  and 
how  Dicky  behaves." 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         11 

"  I  can  tell  you  that  beforehand/'  said  Bell, 
dolefully.  "Jack  will  shoot  him  by  mistake 
on  Thursday ;  he  will  be  kicked  by  the  horses 
Friday,  and  bitten  by  tarantulas  and  rattlesnakes 
Saturday ;  he  will  eat  poison  oak  on  Sunday, 
get  lost  in  the  canon  Monday,  be  eaten  by  a 
bear  Tuesday,  and  drowned  in  the  pool  Wednes 
day.  These  incidents  will  complete  his  first 
week ;  and  if  they  produce  no  effect  on  his 
naturally  strong  constitution,  he  will  treat  us  to 
another  week,  containing  just  as  many  mishaps, 
but  no  duplicates." 

By  the  time  this  dismal  prophecy  was  ended 
the  other  girls  were  in  a  breathless  fit  of  laugh 
ter,  though  all  acknowledged  it  was  likely  to 
be  fulfilled. 

"  I  went  over  the  camping-ground  last  sum 
mer,"  said  Margery.  "  You  know  it  is  quite  near 
papa's  sheep  ranch,  and  it  is  certainly  the  most 
beautiful  place  in  California.  The  tents  will 
be  pitched  at  the  mouth  of  the  canon,  where 
there  is  a  view  of  the  ocean,  and  just  at  the 
back  will  be  a  lovely  grove  of  wild  oaks  and 
sycamore-trees." 

"  Oh,  won't  it  be  delicious ! "  sighed  Elsie. 
"  I  feel  as  if  I  could  sniff  the  air  this  minute. 
But  there  !  I  won't  pretend  that  I  'm  dying  for 
fresh  air,  with  the  breath  of  the  sea  coming  in 


12         PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

at  my  south  window,  and  a  whiff  of  jasmine 
and  honeysuckle  from  the  piazza.  That  would 
be  nonsense.  Are  your  trunks  packed  ?  " 

"Trunks  !  "  exclaimed  Polly.  "  Would  you 
believe  it,  our  clothes  are  packed  in  gunny- 
sacks  !  We  start  in  our  camping-dresses,  with 
ulsters  for  the  steamer  and  dusters  for  the  long 
drive.  Then  we  each  have  —  let  me  see  what 
we  have  :  a  short,  tough  riding-skirt  with  a 
jersey,  a  bathing-dress,  and  some  gingham 
morning-gowns  to  wear  about  the  camp  at 
breakfast  time." 

"  And  flannel  gowns  for  the  night,  and  two 
pairs  of  boots,  and  a  riding-cap  and  one  hat 
apiece,"  added  Margery. 

"But  oh,  Elsie,  my  dear,  you  should  see 
Dicky  in  his  camping-suits,"  laughed  Bell. 
"  They  are  a  triumph  of  invention  on  mamma's 
part.  Just  imagine !  one  is  of  some  enameled 
cloth  that  was  left  over  from  the  new  carriage 
cushions ;  it  is  very  shiny  and  elegant ;  and  the 
other,  truly,  is  of  soft  tanned  leather,  and  just 
as  pretty  as  it  can  be.  Then  he  has  hob-nailed, 
copper-toed  boots,  and  a  hat  that  ties  under  his 
chin.  Poor  little  man,  he  has  lost  his  curls, 
too,  and  looks  rather  like  a  convict." 

Mrs.  Howard  came  in  the  door  while  Bell 
was  speaking,  and  laughed  heartily  at  the 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         13 

description  of  Dicky's  curious  outfit.  "  What 
time  do  you  start  ?  "  she  asked,  as  she  laid  a 
bunch  of  mignonette  on  Elsie's  table. 

"At  eleven  to-morrow  morning,"  Bell  an 
swered.  "  Everything  is  packed.  We  are  to 
start  in  the  steamer,  and  when  we  come  to 
our  old  landing,  about  forty  miles  down  the 
coast,  we  are  to  get  off  and  take  a  three-seated 
thorough-brace  wagon,  and  drive  over  to  Las 
Flores  Canon.  Pancho  has  hired  a  funny  little 
pack  mule ;  he  says  we  shall  need  one  in  going 
up  the  mountain,  and  that  the  boys  can  take 
him  when  they  go  out  shooting,  —  to  carry  the 
deer  home,  you  know." 

"  If  I  can  bring  Elsie  down,  as  I  hope,  we 
must  come  by  land,"  said  Mrs.  Howard.  "I 
thought  we  could  take  two  days  for  the  journey, 
sleeping  at  the  Burtons'  ranch  on  the  way. 
The  doctor  says  that  if  she  can  get  strength 
enough  to  bear  the  ride,  the  open-air  life  will 
do  her  good,  even  if  she  does  nothing  but  lie 
in  the  hammock." 

"  And  be  waited  upon  by  six  willing  slaves," 
added  Polly. 

"And  be  fed  on  canned  corned  beef  and 
tomato  stew,"  laughed  Bell. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  Margery.  «  Hop  Yet 
is  a  splendid  cook,  if  he  has  anything  to  cook, 


14          PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

and  we  '11  feed  her  on  broiled  tidbits  of  baby 
venison,  goat's  milk,  wild  bees'  honey,  and  cun 
ning  little  mourning  doves,  roasted  on  a  spit." 

"Good  gracious,"  cried  Bell,  "what  angels' 
food  !  only  I  would  as  soon  devour  a  pet  canary 
as  a  mourning  dove.  But  to  think  that  I  've 
been  trying  to  diet  for  a  week  in  order  to  get 
intimate  with  suffering  and  privation !  Polly 
came  to  stay  with  me  one  night,  and  we  slept 
on  the  floor,  with  only  a  blanket  under  us,  and 
no  pillow ;  it  was  perfectly  horrid.  Polly 
dreamed  that  her  grandfather  ate  up  her  grand 
mother,  and  I  that  Dicky  stabbed  the  Jersey 
calf  with  a  pickle-fork." 

"  Horrors  !  "  ejaculated  Margery ;  "  that 's  a 
pleasant  prospect  for  your  future  bedfellows. 
I  hope  the  gophers  won't  make  you  nervous, 
gnawing  and  scratching  in  the  straw ;  I  got 
used  to  them  last  summer.  But  we  really 
must  go,  darling,"  and  she  stooped  to  kiss  Elsie 
good-by. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  you  ought,"  she  answered. 
"  But  remember  you  are  to  start  from  this  gate ; 
aunt  Truth  has  promised  me  the  fun  of  seeing 
you  out  of  sight." 

The  girls  went  out  at  a  side  door,  and  joined 
the  boys,  who  were  busily  at  work  cleaning 
their  guns  on  the  broad  western  porch. 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         15 

"  How  are  you  coming  on  ? "  questioned 
Polly. 

"  Oh,  finely/'  answered  Jack,  who  always 
constituted  himself  chief  spokesman,  unless 
driven  from  the  rostrum  by  some  one  possessed 
of  a  nimbler  tongue.  "  I  only  hope  your  fem 
inine  togs  are  in  half  as  good  order." 

"  We  take  no  baggage  to  speak  of,"  said 
Bell,  loftily.  "  Papa  has  cut  us  down  to  the 
very  last  notch,  and  says  the  law  allows  very 
few  pounds  on  this  trip." 

"  The  less  the  better,"  quoth  Geoff  cheerily  ; 
"  then  you  '11  have  to  polish  up  your  mental 
jewels." 

"  Which  you  consider  imitation,  I  suppose," 
sniffed  Polly. 

"  Perish  the  thought !  "  cried  Jack.  "  But, 
speaking  of  mental  jewels,  you  should  see  the 
arrangements  Geoff  has  made  for  polishing 
his.  He  has  actually  stuck  in  six  large  vol 
umes,  any  one  of  which  would  be  a  remedy  for 
sleeplessness.  What  are  you  going  to  study, 
Miss  Pol-y-on-o-mous  Oliver  ?  " 

"  Now,  Jack,  let  us  decide  at  once  whether 
you  intend  to  be  respectful  or  not.  I  don't 
propose  to  expose  myself  to  your  nonsense  for 
two  months  unless  you  make  me  good  promises." 

"  Why,  that  was  n't  disrespectful.    It  is  my 


16          PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

newest  word,  and  it  simply  means  having  many 
titles.  I  'm  sure  you  have  more  than  most 
people." 

"  Very  well,  then  !  I  '11  overlook  the  irrever 
ence  this  time,  and  announce  that  I  shall  not 
take  anything  whatever  to  read,  hut  simply 
reflect  upon  what  I  know  already." 

"  That  may  last  for  the  first  week,"  said 
Bell,  slyly,  " but  what  will  you  do  afterward? " 

"  1 11  reflect  upon  what  you  don't  know," 
retorted  Polly.  "  That  will  easily  occupy  me 
two  months." 

Fortunately,  at  the  very  moment  this  sting 
ing  remark  was  made,  Phil  Noble  dashed  up  to 
the  front  gate,  flung  his  bridle  over  the  hitch- 
ing-post,  and  lifted  his  hat  from  a  very  warm 
brow. 

"  Hail,  chief  of  the  commissary  department !  " 
cried  Geoffrey,  with  mock  salute.  "  Have  you 
dispatched  the  team  ?  " 

"Yes;  everything  is  all  right,"  said  Phil, 
breathlessly,  delivering  himself  of  his  informa 
tion  in  spasmodic  bursts  of  words.  "  Such  a 
lot  of  work  it  was !  here 's  the  list.  Pancho 
will  dump  them  on  the  ground  and  let  us  settle 
them  when  we  get  there.  Such  a  load !  You 
should  have  seen  it !  Hardly  room  for  him  to 
sit  up  in  front  with  the  Chinaman.  Just  hear 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         17 

this/'  and  he  drew  a  large  document  from  what 
Polly  called  "  a  back-stairs  pocket."  "  Forty 
cans  corned  beef,  four  guns,  three  Dutch 
cheeses,  pickles,  fishing  tackle,  flour,  bacon, 
three  bushels  onions,  crate  of  dishes,  Jack's 
banjo,  potatoes,  '  Short  History  of  the  Eng 
lish  People,'  cooking  utensils,  three  hair  pil 
lows,  box  of  ginger-snaps,  four  hammocks, 
coffee,  cartridges,  sugar,  '  Macaulay's  Essays,' 
Pond's  extract,  sixteen  hams,  Bell's  guitar, 
pop-corn,  molasses,  salt,  St.  Jacob's  oil,  ( Con 
quest  of  Mexico,'  sack  of  almonds,  flea  powder, 
and  smoked  herring.  Whew  !  I  packed  them 
all  myself." 

"  In  precisely  that  order  ?  "  questioned  Polly. 

"In  precisely  that  order,  Miss  Oliver,"  re 
turned  Phil,  urbanely.  "  Any  one  who  feels 
that  said  packing  might  be  improved  upon  has 
only  to  mount  the  fleet  Arabian  yonder  "  (the 
animal  alluded  to  seized  this  moment  to  stand 
on  three  legs,  hang  his  head,  and  look  dejected), 
"  and,  giving  him  the  rein,  speed  o'er  the  track 
less  plain  which  leads  to  San  Miguel,  o'ertake 
the  team,  and  re-pack  the  contents  according  to 
her  own  satisfaction." 

"  No  butter,  nor  eggs,  nor  fresh  vegetables  ?  " 
asked  Margery.  "  We  shall  starve  !  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  quoth  Jack.  "  Polly  wiU  grace- 


18         PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

fully  dispose  a  horse-blanket  about  her  shoul 
ders,  to  shield  her  from  the  chill  dews  of  the 
early  morn,  mount  the  pack  mule  exactly  at 
cock-crow  every  day,  and  ride  to  a  neighboring 
ranch  where  there  are  tons  of  the  aforesaid 
articles  awaiting  our  consumption." 

"  Can  you  see  me  doing  it,  girls  ?  Does  it 
seem  entirely  natural  ?  "  asked  Polly,  with  great 
gravity. 

"  Now  hear  my  report  as  chairman  of  the  com 
mittee  of  arrangements,"  said  Geoffrey  Strong, 
seating  himself  with  dignity  on  a  barrel  of 
nails.  "  The  tents,  ropes,  tool-boxes,  bed-sacks, 
blankets,  furniture,  etc.,  all  went  down  on 
Monday's  steamer,  and  I  have  a  telegram  from 
Larry's  Landing  saying  that  they  arrived  in 
good  order,  and  that  a  Mexican  gentleman  who 
owns  a  mammoth  wood-cart  will  take  them  up 
to-morrow  when  we  go  ourselves.  The  proces 
sion  wih1  move  at  one  P.  M.,  -wind  and  weather 
permitting,  in  the  following  order  :  — 

"  1.  Chief  Noble  on  his  gallant  broncho. 

"  2.  Commander  Strong  on  his  ditto,  ditto. 

"  3.  Main  conveyance  or  triumphal  chariot, 
driven  by  Aid-de-Camp  John  Howard,  and  car 
rying  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Winship,  our  most  worship 
ful  and  benignant  host  and  hostess;  Master 
Dick  Winship,  the  heir  apparent ;  three  other 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         19 

young  persons  not  worth  mentioning1 ;  and  four 
cans  of  best  leaf  lard,  which  I  omitted  to  put 
with  the  other  provisions. 

"  4.  Wood-cart  containing  baggage,  driven 
by  Senor  Don  Manuel  Felipe  Hilario  Noriega 
from  Dead  Wood  Gulch. 

"  5.  One  small  tan  terrier." 

"  Oh,  Geoff,  Geoff,  pray  do  stop  !  it 's  too 
much  !  "  cried  the  girls  in  a  fit  of  laughter. 

"  Hurrah ! "  shouted  Jack,  tossing  his  hat 
into  a  tall  eucalyptus-tree  in  his  excitement. 
"  Tent  life  forever !  " 

"  Good-by,  ye  pomps  and  vanities  !  "  chanted 
Bell,  kissing  her  hand  in  imaginary  farewell. 
"  Verily  the  noisy  city  shall  know  us  no  more, 
for  we  depart  for  the  green  forests." 

"  And  the  city  will  not  be  as  noisy  when  you 
depart,"  murmured  Jack,  with  an  impudence 
that  luckily  passed  unnoticed. 

"  If  Elsie  could  only  come  too  !  "  sighed 
Polly. 

Wednesday  morning  dawned  as  bright  and 
beautiful  as  all  mornings  are  wont  to  dawn  in 
Southern  California.  A  light  mist  hung  over 
the  old  adobe  mission  church,  through  which, 
with  its  snow-white  towers  and  cold,  clear-cut 
lines,  it  rose  like  a  frozen  fairy  castle.  Bell 


20         PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

opened  her  sleepy  eyes  with  the  very  earliest 
birds,  and  running  to  the  little  oval  window, 
framed  with  white-rose  vines,  looked  out  at 
the  new  day  just  creeping  up  into  the  world. 

"  0  dear  and  beautiful  home  of  mine,  how 
charming,  how  charming  you  are !  I  wonder 
if  you  are  not  really  Paradise ! "  she  said, 
dreamily ;  and  the  marvel  is  that  the  rising  sun 
did  not  stop  a  moment  in  sheer  surprise  at  the 
sight  of  this  radiant  morning  vision ;  for  the 
oval  window  opening  to  the  east  was  a  pretty 
frame,  with  its  outline  marked  by  the  dewy  rose- 
vine  covered  with  hundreds  of  pure,  half -opened 
buds  and  swaying  tendrils,  and  she  stood  there 
in  it,  a  fair  image  of  the  morning  in  her  in 
nocent  white  gown.  Her  luminous  eyes  still 
mirrored  the  shadowy  visions  of  dreamland, 
mingled  with  dancing  lights  of  hope  and  joyful 
anticipation  ;  while  on  her  fresh  cheeks,  which 
had  not  yet  lost  the  roundness  of  childhood, 
there  glowed,  as  in  the  eastern  skies,  the  faint 
pink  blush  of  the  morning. 

The  town  is  yet  asleep,  and  in  truth  it  is 
never  apt  to  be  fairly  wide  awake.  The  air  is 
soft  and  balmy ;  the  lovely  Pacific,  a  quivering, 
sparkling  sheet  of  blue  and  gray  and  green 
flecked  with  white  foam,  stretches  far  out 
until  it  is  lost  in  the  rosy  sky ;  and  the  moun- 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         21 

tains,  all  purple  and  pink  and  faint  crimson 
and  gray,  stand  like  sentinels  along  the  shore. 
The  scent  of  the  roses,  violets,  and  mignonette 
mingled  with  the  cloying  fragrance  of  the 
datura  is  heavy  in  the  still  air.  The  bending, 
willowy  pepper-trees  show  myriad  bunches  of 
yellow  blossoms,  crimson  seed-berries,  and  fresh 
green  leaves,  whose  surface,  not  rain-washed  for 
months,  is  as  full  of  color  as  ever.  The  palm- 
trees  rise  without  a  branch,  tall,  slender,  and 
graceful,  from  the  warmly  generous  earth,  and 
spread  at  last,  as  if  tired  of  their  straightness, 
into  beautiful  crowns  of  fans,  which  sway  to 
ward  each  other  with  every  breath  of  air.  In 
numerable  butterflies  and  humming-birds,  in 
the  hot,  dazzling  sunshine  of  noonday,  will  be 
hovering  over  the  beds  of  sweet  purple  helio 
trope  and  finding  their  way  into  the  hearts  of 
the  passion-flowers,  but  as  yet  not  the  faintest 
whir  of  wings  can  be  heard.  Looking  eastward 
or  westward,  you  see  either  brown  f ookhills,  or, 
a  little  later  on,  emerald  slopes  whose  vines 
hang  heavy  with  the  half-ripened  grapes. 

And  hark !  A  silvery  note  strikes  on  the 
dewy  stillness.  It  is  the  mission  bell  ringing 
for  morning  mass  ;  and  if  you  look  yonder  you 
may  see  the  Franciscan  friars  going  to  prayers, 
with  their  loose  gray  gowns,  their  girdle  of 


22         PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

rope,  their  sandaled  feet,  and  their  jingling 
rosaries ;  and  perhaps  a  Spanish  senorita,  with 
her  trailing  dress,  and  black  shawl  loosely 
thrown  over  her  head,  from  out  the  folds  of 
which  her  two  dark  eyes  burn  like  gleaming 
fires.  A  solitary  Mexican  gallops  by,  with 
gayly  decorated  saddle  and  heavily  laden  sad 
dle-bags  hanging  from  it  ;  perhaps  he  is  taking 
home  provisions  to  his  wife  and  dark-eyed 
babies  who  live  up  in  a  little  dimple  of  the 
mountain  side,  almost  hidden  from  sight  by  the 
olive-trees.  And  then  a  patient,  hardy  little 
mustang  lopes  along  the  street,  bearing  on  his 
back  three  laughing  boys,  one  behind  the  other, 
on  a  morning  ride  into  town  from  the  mesa. 

The  mist  has  floated  away  from  the  old  mis 
sion  now,  the  sun  has  climbed  a  little  higher, 
and  Bell  has  come  away  from  the  window  in  a 
gentle  mood. 

"  Oh,  Polly,  I  don't  see  how  anybody  can  be 
wicked  in  such  a  beautiful,  beautiful  world." 

"  Humph  !  "  said  Polly,  dipping  her  curly 
head  deep  into  the  water-bowl,  and  coming  up 
looking  like  a  little  drowned  kitten.  "  When 
you  want  to  be  hateful,  you  don't  stop  to  think 
whether  you  're  looking  at  a  cactus  or  a  rose 
bush,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Very  true,"  sighed  Bell,  quite  silenced  by 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         23 

this  practical  illustration.  "  Now  I  '11  try  the 
effect  of  the  landscape  on  my  temper  by  dress 
ing  Dicky,  while  he  dances  about  the  room  and 
plays  with  his  tan  terrier." 

But  it  happened  that  Dicky  was  on  his 
very  best  behavior,  and  stood  as  still  as  a  sign 
post  while  being  dressed.  It  is  true  he  ate 
a  couple  of  matches  and  tumbled  down-stairs 
twice  before  breakfast,  so  that  after  that  hur 
ried  meal  Bell  tied  him  to  one  of  the  veranda 
posts,  that  he  might  not  commit  any  act  vicious 
enough  to  keep  them  at  home.  As  he  had  a 
huge  pocket  full  of  apricots  he  was  in  perfect 
good-humor,  not  taking  his  confinement  at  all 
to  heart,  inasmuch  as  it  commanded  a  full  view 
of  the  scene  of  action.  His  amiability  was 
further  increased,  moreover,  by  the  possession 
of  a  bright  new  policeman's  whistle,  which  was 
carefully  tied  to  his  button-hole  by  a  neat  little 
silk  cord,  and  which  his  fond  parents  intended 
that  he  should  blow  if  he  chanced  to  fall  into 
danger  during  his  rambles  about  the  camp.  We 
might  as  well  state  here,  however,  that  this 
precaution  proved  fruitless,  for  he  blew  it  at  all 
times  and  seasons;  and  everybody  became  so 
hardened  to  its  melodious  shriek  that  they  paid 
no  attention  to  it  whatever,  —  history,  or  fable, 
thus  again  repeating  itself. 


24         PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Noble  had  driven  Margery  and 
Phil  into  town  from  the  fruit  ranch,  and  were 
waiting  to  see  the  party  off. 

Mrs.  Oliver  was  to  live  in  the  Win  ship  house 
during  the  absence  of  the  family,  and  was  aid 
ing  them  to  do  those  numberless  little  things 
that  are  always  found  undone  at  the  last 
moment.  She  had  given  her  impetuous  daugh 
ter  a  dozen  fond  embraces,  smothering  in  each 
a  gentle  warning,  and  stood  now  with  Mrs. 
Winship  at  the  gate,  watching  the  three  girls, 
who  had  gone  on  to  bid  Elsie  good-by. 

"  I  hope  Pauline  won't  give  you  any  trouble," 
she  said.  "  She  is  so  apt  to  be  too  impulsive 
and  thoughtless." 

"I  shall  enjoy  her,"  said  sweet  aunt  Truth, 
with  that  bright,  cordial  smile  of  hers  that  was 
like  a  blessing.  "  She  has  a  very  loving  heart, 
and  is  easily  led.  How  pretty  the  girls  look, 
and  how  different  they  are !  Polly  is  like  a 
thistledown  or  a  firefly,  Margery  like  one  of 
our  home  Mayflowers,  and  I  can't  help  think 
ing  my  Bell  like  a  sunbeam." 

The  girls  did  look  very  pretty ;  for  their 
mothers  had  fashioned  their  camping-dresses 
with  much  care  and  taste,  taking  great  pains 
to  make  them  picturesque  and  appropriate  to 
their  summer  life  "  under  the  greenwood  tree." 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         25 

Over  a  plain  full  skirt  of  heavy  crimson 
serge  Bell  wore  a  hunting  jacket  and  drapery 
of  dark  leaf -green,  like  a  bit  of  forest  against 
a  sunset.  Her  hair,  which  fell  in  a  waving 
mass  of  burnished  brightness  to  her  waist,  was 
caught  by  a  silver  arrow,  and  crowned  by  a  wide 
soft  hat  of  crimson  felt  encircled  with  a  bird's 
breast. 

Margery  wore  a  soft  gray  flannel,  the  color 
of  a  dove's  throat,  adorned  with  rows  upon 
rows  of  silver  braid  and  sparkling  silver  but 
tons  ;  while  her  big  gray  hat  had  nothing  but 
a  silver  cord  and  tassel  tied  round  it  in  Spanish 
fashion. 

Polly  was  all  in  sailor  blue,  with  a  distract- 
ingly  natty  little  double-breasted  coat  and  great 
white  rolling  collar.  Her  hat  swung  in  her 
hand,  as  usual,  showing  her  boyish  head  of 
sunny  auburn  curls,  and  she  carried  on  a  neat 
chatelaine  a  silver  cup  and  little  clasp  knife, 
as  was  the  custom  in  the  party. 

"  It 's  very  difficult,"  Polly  often  exclaimed, 
"  to  get  a  dress  that  will  tone  down  your  hair 
and  a  hat  that  will  tone  up  your  nose,  when 
the  first  is  red  and  the  last  a  snub  !  My  nose 
is  the  root  of  all  evil ;  it  makes  people  think 
I  'm  saucy  before  I  say  a  word ;  and  as  for  my 
hair,  they  think  I  must  be  peppery,  no  matter 


26         PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

if  I  were  really  as  meek  as  Moses.  Now 
there 's  Margery,  the  dear,  darling  mouse  ! 
People  look  at  her  two  sleek  braids,  every 
hair  doing  just  what  it  ought  to  do  and  lying 
straight  and  smooth,  and  ask,  'Who  is  that 
sweet  girl  ?  '  There  's  something  wrong  some 
where.  I  ought  not  to  suffer  because  of  one 
small,  simple,  turned-up  nose  and  a  head  of 
hair  which  reveals  the  glowing  tints  of  au 
tumn,  as  Jack  gracefully  says." 

"  Here  they  come  !  "  shouted  Jack  from  the 
group  on  the  Howards'  piazza.  "Christopher 
Columbus,  what  gorgeousness  !  The  Flamingo, 
the  Dove,  and  the  Blue-jay !  Good  morning, 
young  ladies ;  may  we  be  allowed  to  travel  in 
the  same  steamer  with  your  highnesses  ?  " 

"You  needn't  be  troubled,"  laughed  Bell. 
"  We  shall  not  disclose  these  glories  until  we 
reach  the  camp.  But  you  are  dressed  as  usual. 
What 's  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  fact  is,"  answered  Geoffrey,  "  our 
courage  failed  us  at  the  last  moment.  We 
donned  our  uniforms,  and  looked  like  bri 
gands,  highway  robbers,  cowboys,  firemen, — 
anything  but  modest  young  men ;  and  as  it  was 
too  warm  for  ulsters,  we  took  refuge  in  civilized 
raiment  for  to-day.  When  we  arrive,  you 
shall  behold  our  dashing  sombreros  fixed  up 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         27 

with  peacock  feathers,  and  our  refulgent  shirts, 
which  are  of  the  most  original  style  and  deco 
ration." 

"  Aboriginal,  in  fact/'  said  Jack.  "  We  have 
broad  belts  of  alligator  skin,  pouches,  pistols, 
bowie-knives,  and  tan-colored  shoes ;  but  we 
dislike  to  flaunt  them  before  the  eyes  of  a  city 
public." 

"  Here  they  are !  "  cried  Geoffrey,  from  the 
gate.  "  Uncle,  and  aunt,  and  Dicky,  and  — 
good  gracious  !  Is  he  really  going  to  take 
that  wretched  tan  terrier?" 

66  Won't  go  without  him,"  said  Bell,  briefly. 
"  There  are  cases  where  it  is  better  to  submit 
than  to  fight." 

So  the  last  good-bys  were  said,  and  Elsie 
bore  up  bravely  ;  better,  indeed,  than  the  others, 
who  shed  many  a  furtive  tear  at  leaving  her. 
"  Make  haste  and  get  well,  darling,"  whispered 
the  girls,  lovingly. 

"  Pray,  pray,  dear  Mrs.  Howard,  bring  her 
down  to  us  as  soon  as  possible.  We  '11  take 
such  good  care  of  her,"  teased  Bell,  with  one 
last  squeeze,  and  strong  signs  of  a  shower  in 
both  eyes. 

"  Come,  girls  and  boys,"  said  kind  Dr.  Paul, 
(6  the  steamer  has  blown  her  first  whistle,  and 
we  must  be  off." 


28         PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

Oh,  how  clear  and  beautiful  a  day  it  was, 
and  how  charmingly  gracious  Dame  Ocean 
looked  in  her  white  caps  and  blue  ruffles ! 
Even  the  combination  steamboat  smell  of  din 
ner,  oil,  and  close  air  was  obliterated  by  the 
keen  sea  breeze. 

The  good  ship  Orizaba  ploughed  her  way 
through  the  sparkling,  sun-lit  waves,  traversing 
quickly  the  distance  which  lay  between  the 
young  people  and  their  destination.  They 
watched  the  long  white  furrow  that  stretched 
in  her  wake,  the  cloud  of  black  smoke  which 
floated  like  a  dark  shadow  above  the  laughing 
crests  of  the  waves,  and  the  flocks  of  sea-gulls 
sailing  overhead,  with  wild  shrill  screams  ever 
and  anon  swooping  down  for  some  bit  of  food 
flung  from  the  ship,  and  then  floating  for  miles 
on  the  waves. 

How  they  sung  "  Life  on  the  Ocean  Wave," 
"  Bounding  Billow,"  and  "  Rocked  in  the 
Cradle  of  the  Deep  "  !  How  Jack  chanted,  — 

"  I  wish  T  were  a  fish, 

With  a  great  long  tail ; 
A  tiny  little  tittlebat, 

A  wiggle  or  a  whale, 
In  the  middle  of  the  great  blue  sea.     Oh,  my  ! " 

"  Oh,  how  I  long  to  be  there  ! "  exclaimed 
Philip,  "  to  throw  aside  all  the  formal  customs 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         29 

of  a  wicked  world  I  abhor,  and  live  a  free  life 
under  the  blue  sky  !  " 

"  Why,  Philip  Noble  !  I  never  saw  you  in 
side  of  a  house  in  my  life,"  cried  Polly. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  you  're  mistaken.  I  've  been 
obliged  to  eat  most  of  my  meals  in  the  house, 
and  sleep  there;  but  I  don't  approve  of  it, 
and  it 's  a  trial  to  be  borne  with  meekness  only 
when  there  's  no  remedy  for  it." 

"  Besides,"  said  Jack,  "  even  when  we  are 
out-of-doors  we  are  shelling  the  reluctant  al 
mond,  poisoning  the  voracious  gopher,  pruning 
grape-vines,  and  '  sich.'  Now  I  am  only  going 
to  shoot  to  eat,  and  eat  to  shoot !  " 

"  Hope  you  've  improved  since  last  year,  or 
you  '11  have  a  low  diet,"  murmured  Phil,  in  an 
undertone. 

"  The  man  of  genius  must  expect  to  be  the 
butt  of  ridicule,"  sighed  Jack,  meekly. 

"  But  you  '11  not  repine,  although  your  heart 
strings  break,  will  you  ? "  said  Polly,  sympa- 
thizingly ;  "  specially  in  the  presence  of  several 
witnesses  who  have  seen  you  handle  a  gun." 

"  How  glad  I  am  that  I  'm  too  near-sighted 
to  shoot,"  said  Geoffrey,  taking  off  the  eye 
glasses  that  made  him  look  so  wise  and  digni 
fied.  "  I  shall  lounge  under  the  trees,  read 
Macaulay,  and  order  the  meals." 


30         PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE. 

"  I  shall  need  an  assistant  about  the  camp/' 
said  aunt  Truth,  smilingly ;  "  but  I  hardly 
think  he  '11  have  much  time  to  lounge ;  when 
everything  else  fails,  there  's  always  Dicky,  you 
know." 

Geoffrey  looked  discouraged. 

"  And,  furthermore,  I  declare  by  the  nose  of 
the  great  Tarn  O'Shanter  that  I  will  cut  down 
every  tree  in  the  vicinity  ere  you  shall  lounge 
under  it,"  said  Jack. 

"  Softly,  my  boy.  Hill's  blue  gum  forest  is 
not  so  very  far  away.  You  '11  have  your  hands 
full,"  laughed  Dr.  Paul. 

Here  Margery  and  Bell  joined  the  group, 
after  a  quick  walk  up  and  down  the  deck. 

"  Papa,"  said  Bell,  excitedly,  "  we  certainly 
are  nearing  the  place.  Do  you  see  that  bend 
in  the  shore,  and  don't  you  remember  that  the 
landing  is  n't  far  below  ?  " 

"  Bell's  bump  of  locality  is  immense.  There 
are  nineteen  bends  in  the  shore  exactly  like 
that  one  before  we  reach  the  landing.  How 
many  knots  an  hour  do  you  suppose  this  ship 
travels,  my  fair  cousin  ?  "  asked  Geoffrey. 

"  I  could  tell  better,"  replied  Bell,  calmly, 
"  if  I  could  ever  remember  how  many  knots 
made  a  mile,  or  how  many  miles  made  a  knot  \ 
but  I  always  forget." 


PREPARATION  AND  DEPARTURE.         31 

"  Oh,  see  !  There  's  a  porpoise  !  "  cried  Jack. 
"  Polly,  why  is  a  porpoise  like  a  water-lily  ?  " 

But  before  he  could  say  "  Guess/'  Phil, 
Geoff,  and  the  girls  had  drawn  themselves  into 
a  line,  and,  with  a  whispered  "  One,  two,  three," 
to  secure  a  good  start,  replied  in  concert, 
"We-give-it-up!" 

"  What  a  deafening  shout ! "  cried  aunt 
Truth,  coming  out  of  the  cabin.  "  What  's 
the  matter,  pray?" 

"  Nothing,  aunty,"  laughed  Polly.  "  But  we 
have  formed  a  society  for  suppressing  Jack's 
conundrums,  and  this  is  our  first  public  meet 
ing.  How  do  you  like  the  watchword  ?  " 

Aunt  Truth  smiled.  "  It  was  very  audible," 
she  said.  "Yours  is  evidently  not  a  secret 
society." 

"  I  wish  I  could  find  out  who  originated  this 
plan,"  quoth  Jack,  murderously.  "  But  I  sup 
pose  it 's  one  of  you  girls,  and  I  can't  revenge 
myself.  Oh,  when  will  this  barrier  between 
the  sexes  be  removed !  " 

"  I  trust  not  in  your  lifetime,"  shuddered 
Polly,  "  or  we  might  as  well  begin  to  '  stand 
round  our  dying  beds '  at  once." 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE   JOURNEY. 

"  Away,  away,  from  men  and  towns, 
To  the  wild  wood  and  the  downs, 
To  the  silent  wilderness." 

TTTHATEVER  the  distance  was  in  reality, 
»  T  the  steamer  had  consumed  more  time 
than  usual,  and  it  was  quite  two  o'clock,  in 
stead  of  half  past  twelve,  as  they  had  expected, 
before  they  were  landed  on  the  old  and  almost 
forgotten  pier,  and  saw  the  smoke  of  the  Ori 
zaba  as  she  steamed  away. 

After  counting  over  their  bags  and  packages 
to  see  if  anything  had  been  forgotten,  they 
looked  about  them. 

There  was  a  dirty  little  settlement,  a  mile 
or  two  to  the  south,  consisting  of  a  collection 
of  tumble-down  adobe  houses,  which  looked 
like  a  blotch  on  the  brown  hillside  ;  a  few 
cattle  were  browsing  near  by,  and  the  locality 


THE  JOURNEY.  33 

seemed  to  be  well  supplied  with  lizards,  which 
darted  over  the  dusty  ground  in  all  directions. 
But  the  startling  point  of  the  landscape  was 
that  it  showed  no  sign  of  human  life,  and 
Pancho's  orders  had  been  to  have  Senor  Don 
Manuel  Felipe  Hilario  Noriega  and  his  wood- 
cart  on  hand  promptly  at  past  half  twelve. 
"  Can  Pancho  have  forgotten  ?  " 

o 

"  Can  he  have  lost  his  way  and  never  arrived 
here  at  all?" 

"  Can  Seiior  Don  Manuel  Felipe  Hilario 
Noriega  have  grown  tired  of  waiting  and  gone, 
off?" 

"  Has  Senor  Don  Manuel  Felipe  Hilario 
Noriega  been  drinking  too  much  aguardiente 
and  so  forgotten  to  come  ?  " 

"  Has  Pancho  been  murdered  by  highway 
robbers,  and  served  up  into  stew  for  their  even 
ing  meal  ?  " 

"  With  Hop  Yet  for  dessert !    Oh,  horrible !  " 

These  were  some  of  the  questions  and  excla 
mations  that  greeted  the  ears  of  the  lizards,  and 
caused  them  to  fly  over  the  ground  in  a  more 
excited  fashion  than  ever. 

"  One  thing  is  certain.  If  Pancho  has  been 
stupid  enough  to  lose  his  way  coming  fifty 
miles  down  the  coast,  I  '11  discharge  him,"  said 
Dr.  Winship,  with  decision. 


34  THE  JOURNEY. 

"When  you  find  him,"  added  aunt  Truth, 
prudently. 

"  Of  course.  But  really,  mamma,  this  looks 
discouraging ;  I  am  afraid  we  can't  get  into 
camp  this  evening.  Shall  we  go  up  to  the 
nearest  ranch  house  for  the  night,  and  see  what 
can  be  done  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Never !  "  exclaimed  the  young  people,  with 
one  deafening  shout. 

"  Never,"  echoed  Philip  separately.  "I  have 
vowed  that  a  bed  shall  not  know  me  for  three 
months,  and  I  '11  keep  my  vow." 

"  What  do  you  say  to  this,  uncle  Doc  ? " 
said  Geoffrey.  "  Suppose  you  go  up  to  the 
storehouse  and  office,  —  it 's  about  a  mile,  — 
and  see  if  the  goods  are  there  all  right,  and 
whether  the  men  saw  Pancho  on  his  way  up  to 
the  canon.  Meanwhile,  Phil  and  I  will  ride 
over  here  somewhere  to  get  a  team,  or  look 
up  Senor  Don  Manuel  Felipe  Hilario  Noriega. 
Jack  can  stay  with  aunt  Truth  and  the  girls, 
to  watch  developments." 

"  But,  papa,  can't  we  pitch  the  camp  to 
night,  somehow  ?  "  asked  Bell,  piteously. 

"I  don't  see  how.  We  are  behindhand 
already ;  and  if  we  get  started  within  an  hour 
we  dan't  reach  the  ground  I  selected  before 
dark ;  and  we  can't  choose  any  nearer  one,  be- 


THE  JOURNEY.  35 

cause  if  Pancho  is  anywhere  in  creation  he  is 
on  the  identical  spot  I  sent  him  to." 

"  But,  Dr.  Paul,  I  '11  tell  you  what  we  could 
do/'  suggested  Jack.  "  If  we  get  any  kindjof 
a  start,  we  can't  fail  to  reach  camp  by  seven  or 
eight  o'clock  at  latest.  Now  it 's  bright  moon 
light,  and  if  we  find  Pancho,  he  '11  have  the 
baggage  unloaded,  and  Hop  Yet  will  have  a 
fire  lighted.  What 's  to  prevent  our  swinging 
the  hammocks  for  the  ladies  ?  And  we  '11  just 
roll  up  in  our  blankets  by  the  fire,  for  to-night. 
Then  we  '11  get  to  housekeeping  in  the  morn- 
ing." 

This  plan  received  a  most  enthusiastic  recep 
tion. 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  Doctor.  "  If  you 
are  all  agreed,  I  suppose  we  may  as  well  begin 
roughing  it  now  as  at  any  time." 

You  may  have  noticed  sometimes,  after  hav 
ing  fortified  yourself  against  a  terrible  misfor 
tune  which  seemed  in  store  for  you,  that  it 
didn't  come,  after  all.  Well,  it  was  so  in 
this  case ;  for  just  as  Dr.  Winship  and  the  boys 
started  out  over  the  hillside  at  a  brisk  pace,  an 
immense  cloud  of  dust,  some  distance  up  the 
road,  attracted  their  attention,  and  they  came 
to  a  sudden  standstill. 

The  girls  held  their  breath  in  anxious  expec- 


36  THE  JOURNEY. 

tation,  and  at  length  gave  an  irrepressible 
shout  of  joy  and  relief  when  there  issued  from 
the  dense  gray  cloud  the  familiar  four-horse 
tqam,  with  Daisy,  Tule  Molly,  Villikins  and 
Dinah,  looking  as  fresh  as  if  they  had  not  been 
driven  a  mile,  tough  little  mustangs  that  they 
were. 

A  long  conversation  in  Spanish  ensued, 
which,  being  translated  by  Dr.  Winship,  fur 
nished  all  necessary  information  concerning  the 
delay. 

S.  D.  M.  F.  H.  N.  stated  that  Pancho  was 
neither  faithless  nor  stupid,  but  was  waiting 
for  them  on  the  camping-ground,  and  that  as 
the  goods  were  already  packed  in  his  wood-cart 
he  would  follow  them  immediately.  So  the 
whole  party  started  without  more  delay;  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Winship,  Master  Paul,  Jack  Howard, 
and  the  three  girls  riding  in  the  wagon,  while 
Geoffrey  and  Philip  galloped  ahead  on  horse 
back. 

It  was  a  long,  dusty,  tiresome  ride ;  and 
Dicky,  who  had  been  as  good  all  day  as 
any  saint  ever  carved  in  marble  and  set  in 
a  niche,  grew  rather  warm,  cross,  and  hun 
gry,  although  he  had  been  consuming  gin 
ger-snaps  and  apricots  since  early  morning. 
After  asking  plaintively  for  the  fiftieth  time 


THE  JOURNEY.  37 

how  long  it  would  be  before  dinner,  he  finally 
succumbed  to  his  weariness,  and  dropping  his 
yellow  head,  that  was  like  a  cowslip  ball,  in  his 
mother's  lap,  he  fell  asleep. 

But  the  young  people,  whose  eyes  were  not 
blinded  by  hunger  and  sleep,  found  more  than 
enough  to  interest  them  on  this  dusty  Califor 
nia  road,  winding  as  it  did  through  grand  old 
growths  of  trees,  acres  and  acres  of  waving 
grain,  and  endless  stretches  of  gorgeous  yellow 
mustard,  the  stalks  of  which  were  five  or  six 
feet  high,  almost  hiding  from  view  the  boys 
who  dashed  into  the  golden  forest  from  time  to 
time. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill  they  passed  an  old 
adobe  hut,  with  a  crowd  of  pretty,  swarthy, 
frowzy  Mexican  children  playing  in  the  sun 
shine,  while  their  mother,  black-haired  and 
ample  of  figure,  occupied  herself  in  hanging 
great  quantities  of  jerked  beef  on  a  sort  of 
clothes-line  running  between  the  eucalyptus- 
trees. 

The  father,  a  wild-looking  individual  in  a 
red  shirt  and  enormous  hat,  came  from  behind 
the  hut,  unhitched  the  stout  little  broncho  tied 
to  the  fence,  gave  the  poor  animal  a  desper 
ately  tight  "  cinch,"  threw  himself  into  the 
saddle  without  touching  his  foot  to  the  lum- 


88  THE  JOURNEY. 

bering  wooden  stirrups,  and,  digging  his  spurs 
well  into  the  horse's  sides,  was  out  of  sight  in 
an  instant,  leaving  only  a  huge  cloud  of  dust 
to  cover  his  disappearance. 

"  How  those  fellows  do  ride  !  "  exclaimed 
Dr.  Winship,  savagely.  "  I  wish  they  were  all 
obliged  to  walk  until  they  knew  how  to  treat  a 
horse." 

"  Then  they  'd  walk  straight  into  the  mil 
lennium,"  said  Jack  sagely,  "  for  their  cruelty 
seems  to  be  an  instinct." 

"  But  how  beautifully  they  ride,  too  !  "  said 
Polly.  "  Mamma  and  I  were  sitting  on  the 
hotel  piazza  the  other  day,  watching  two  young 
Spaniards  who  were  performing  feats  of  horse 
manship.  They  dropped  four-bit  pieces  on  the 
dusty  road,  and  riding  up  to  them  at  full 
speed  clutched  them  from  the  ground  in  some 
mysterious  way  that  was  perfectly  wonderful. 
Then  Nick  Gutierrez  mounted  a  bucking  horse, 
and  actually  rolled  and  lighted  a  cigarette 
while  the  animal  bucked  with  all  his  might." 

"  See  that  cunning,  cunning  muchachita, 
mamma  ! "  cried  Bell ;  for,  as  they  stopped 
at  the  top  of  the  hill  to  let  the  horses  breathe, 
one  of  the  little  Mexican  children  ran  after 
them,  holding  out  a  handful  of  glowing  yellow 
poppies. 


THE  JOURNEY.  39 

She  was  distractingly  pretty,  with  a  beauty 
that  is  short-lived  with  the  people  of  her  race. 
The  afternoon  sun  shone  down  fiercely  on  her 
waving  coal-black  locks,  and  brought  a  rich 
color  to  her  nut-brown  cheek;  she  had  one 
little  flimsy,  ragged  garment,  neither  long, 
broad,  nor  thick,  which  hung  about  her  pic 
turesquely  ;  and,  with  her  soft,  dark,  sleepy  eyes, 
the  rows  of  little  white  teeth  behind  her  laugh 
ing  red  mouth,  and  the  vivid  yellow  blossoms 
in  her  tiny  outstretched  hand,  she  was  a  very 
charming  vision. 

"  Como  te  llamas,  muchachita  ?  "  (What  is 
your  name,  little  one  ?)  asked  Bell,  airing  her 
Spanish,  which  was  rather  good. 

((  Teresita,"  she  answered,  with  a  pretty  ac 
cent,  as  she  scratched  a  set  of  five  grimy  little 
toes  to  and  fro  in  the  dusty  ground. 

"  Throw  her  a  bit,  papa,"  whispered  Bell ; 
and,  as  he  did  so,  Teresita  caught  the  piece  of 
silver  very  deftly,  and  ran  excitedly  back  to  the 
centre  of  the  chattering  group  in  front  of  the 
house. 

"  How  intense  everything  is  in  California ! 
Do  you  know  what  I  mean,  mamma  ?  "  said 
Bell.  "  The  fruit  is  so  immense,  the  canons 
so  deep,  the  trees  so  big,  the  hills  so  high,  the 
rain  so  wet,  and  the  drought  so  dry." 


40  THE  JOURNEY. 

"  The  fleas  so  many,  the  fleas  so  spry/' 
chanted  Jack,  who  had  perceived  that  Bell  was 
talking  in  rhyme  without  knowing  it.  "  Cali 
fornia  is  just  the  place  for  you,  Bell ;  it  gives 
you  a  chance  for  innumerable  adjectives  heaped 
one  on  the  other." 

"  I  don't  always  heap  up  adjectives/'  replied 
Bell,  with  dignity.  "  When  I  wish  to  describe 
you,  for  instance,  I  simply  say  'that  hateful 
boy/  and  let  it  go  at  that." 

Jack  retired  to  private  life  for  a  season. 

"  I  'd  like  to  paint  a  picture  of  Teresita," 
said  Margery,  who  had  a  pretty  talent  for 
sketching,  "  and  call  it  The  Summer  Child,  or 
some  such  thing.  I  should  think  the  famous 
old  color  artists  might  have  loved  to  paint  this 
gorgeous  flame-tinted  poppy." 

"  Not  poppy,  —  eschscholtzia,"  corrected 
Jack,  coming  rapidly  to  the  surface  again, 
after  Bell's  rebuke,  and  delivering  himself  of 
the  tongue-confusing  word  with  a  terrible  gri 
mace. 

"  I  'm  not  writing  a  botany,"  retorted  Mar 
gery  ;  "  and  I  can  never  remember  that  word, 
much  less  spell  it.  I  don't  see  how  it  grows 
under  such  an  abominable  Russian  name.  It 's 
worse  than  ichthyosaurus.  Do  you  remember 
that  funny  nonsense  verse  ?  — 


THE  JOURNEY.  41 

"  I  is  for  ichthyosaurus, 
Who  lived  when  the  world  was  all  porous  ; 

But  he  fainted  with  shame 

When  he  first  heard  his  name, 
And  departed  a  long  while  before  us." 

"  The  Spaniards  are  more  poetic/'  said  aunt 
Truth,  "  for  they  call  it  la  copa  de  oro,  the 
golden  cup.  Oh,  see  them  yonder  !  It  is 
like  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold." 

The  sight  would  have  driven  a  royal  florist 
mad  with  joy :  a  hillside  that  was  a  swaying 
mass  of  radiant  bloom,  a  joyous  carnival  of 
vivid  color,  in  which  the  thousand  golden  gob 
lets,  turned  upward  to  the  sun,  were  dancing, 
and  glowing,  and  shaming  out  of  countenance 
the  purple  and  blue  and  pink  masses  which 
surrounded  them  on  every  side. 

"  You  know  Professor  Pinnie  told  us  that 
every  well-informed  young  girl  should  know  at 
least  the  flora  of  her  own  State/'  said  Jack, 
after  the  excitement  had  subsided. 

"  Well,  one  thing  is  certain  :  Professor  Pinnie 
never  knew  the  state  of  his  own  flora,  or  at 
least  he  kept  his  wife  sorting  and  arranging  his 
specimens  all  the  time ;  and  I  think  he  's  a  reg 
ular  old  frump,"  said  Polly,  irreverently,  but 
meeting  aunt  Truth's  reproving  glance,  which 
brought  a  blush  and  a  whispered  "  Excuse  me," 
she  went  on,  "  Well,  what  I  mean  is,  he  does  n't 


42  THE  JOURNEY. 

know  any  more  than  other  people,  after  all ;  for 
he  cares  for  nothing  but  bushes  and  herbs 
and  seeds  and  shrubs  and  roots  and  stamens 
and  pistils ;  and  he  can't  tell  whether  a  flower 
is  lovely  or  not,  he  is  so  crazy  to  find  out  where 
it  belongs  and  tie  a  tag  round  it." 

"I  must  agree  with  Polly/'  laughed  Jack. 
"  Why,  I  went  to  ride  with  him  one  day  in  the 
Cathedral  Oaks,  and  he  made  me  get  off  my 
horse  every  five  minutes  to  dig  up  roots  and 
tie  them  to  the  pommel  of  his  old  saddle,  so 
that  we  came  into  town  looking  like  moving 
herbariums.  The  stable-man  lifted  him  on  to 
his  horse  when  he  started,  I  suppose,  and  he 
would  have  been  there  yet  if  he  had  n't  been 
helped  off.  Bah  !  "  For  Jack  had  a  supreme 
contempt  for  any  man  who  was  less  than  a 
centaur. 

By  this  time  they  had  turned  off  the  main 
thoroughfare,  and  were  traveling  over  a  bit  of 
old  stage  road  which  was  anything  but  easy 
riding.  There  they  met  some  men  who  were 
driving  an  enormous  band  of  sheep  to  a  distant 
ranch  for  pasture,  which  gave  saucy  Polly  the 
chance  to  ask  Dr.  Winship,  innocently,  why 
white  sheep  ate  so  much  more  than  black  ones. 

He  fell  into  the  trap  at  once,  and  answered 
unsuspectingly,  in  a  surprised  tone,  "Why, 


THE  JOURNEY.  43 

do  they  ?  "  giving  her  the  longed-for  opportu 
nity  to  respond,  "  Yes,  of  course,  because  there 
are  so  many  more  of  'em  ;  don't  you  see  ?  " 

"  You  are  behind  the  times,  Dr.  Paul,"  said 
Jack.  "  That 's  an  ancient  joke.  Just  look  at 
those  sheep,  sir.  How  many  are  there  ?  Eight 
hundred,  say  ?  " 

"  Even  more,  I  should  think,  —  a  thousand, 
certainly ;  and  rather  thin  they  look,  too." 

"I  should  imagine  they  might,"  said  Bell, 
sympathetically.  "  When  I  first  came  to  Cali 
fornia  I  never  could  see  how  the  poor  creatures 
found  anything  to  eat  on  these  bare  brown  hill 
sides,  until  the  farmers  showed  me  the  prickly 
little  burr  clover  balls  that  cover  the  ground. 
But  see,  mamma !  there  are  some  tiny  lambs, 
poor  tired,  weak-legged  little  things ;  I  wonder 
if  they  will  live  through  the  journey." 

"  Which  reminds  me,"  said  Jack,  giving  Vil- 
likins  a  touch  of  the  whip,  "that  nothing  is 
so  calculated  to  disturb  your  faith  in  and  love 
for  lambs  as  life  on  a  sheep  ranch.  Innocent ! 
Good  gracious  !  I  never  saw  such  —  such  "  — 

"  Gasping,  staggering,  stuttering,  stammer 
ing  torn-fools,"  interposed  Bell.  "  That 's  what 
Carlyle  called  one  Lamb,  —  dear  Mr.  'Koast 
Pig '  Charles ;  and  a  mean  old  thing  he  was, 
too,  for  doing  it." 


44  THE  JOURNEY. 

"  Well,  it  is  just  strong  enough  to  apply  to 
the  actual  lamb  ;  not  the  lamb  of  romance,  but 
the  lamb  of  reality.  You  can't  get  him  any 
where  ;  he  does  n't  know  enough.  He  won't 
drive,  he  can't  follow  ;  he  's  too  stupid.  Why, 
I  went  out  for  a  couple  of  'em  once,  that  were 
lost  in  the  canon.  I  found  them,  —  that  was 
comparatively  easy ;  but  when  I  tried  to  get 
them  home,  I  could  n't.  At  last,  after  infinite 
trouble,  I  managed  to  drive  them  up  on  to  the 
trail,  which  was  so  narrow  there  was  but  one 
thing  for  a  rational  creature  to  do,  and  that 
was  to  go  ahead.  Then,  if  you  '11  believe  me, 
those  idiots  kept  blaating  and  getting  under 
the  horse's  fore-feet;  finally,  one  of  them,  the 
champion  simpleton,  tumbled  over  into  the 
canon,  and  I  tied  the  legs  of  the  other  one 
together,  and  carried  him  home  on  the  front  of 
my  saddle." 

"  They  are  innocent,  any  way,"  insisted  Mar 
gery.  "  I  won't  believe  they  're  not.  I  can't 
bear  these  people  who  interfere  with  all  your 
cherished  ideas,  and  say  that  Columbus  did  n't 
discover  America,  and  Shakespeare  was  n't 
Shakespeare,  and  William  Tell  did  n't  shoot 
the  apple." 

66  Nevertheless,  I  claim  that  the  lamb  is  not 
half  so  much  an  emblem  of  innocence  as  he  is 


THE  JOURNEY.  45 

of  utter  and  profound  stupidity.  There  is  that 
charming  old  lyric  about  Mary's  little  lamb ;  I 
can  explain  that.  After  he  came  to  school 
(which  was  an  error  of  judgment  at  the  very 
beginning),  he  made  the  rumpus,  you  know, 

"  And  then  the  teacher  turned  him  out, 

But  still  he  lingered  nee-ar, 
And  waited  patiently  about 
Till  Mary  did  appee-ar. 

Of  course  he  did.  He  did  n't  know  enough  to 
go  home  alone. 

"  And  then  he  ran  to  her  and  laid 

His  head  upon  her  arr-um, 
As  if  to  say,  « I  'm  not  afraid  ; 

You  '11  keep  me  from  all  harr-um.' 

As  if  a  lamb  could  be  capable  of  that  amount 
of  reasoning  !  And  then 

"  « What  makes  the  lamb  love  Mary  so  ?  ' 

The  eager  children  cry  ; 
*  Why,  Mary  loves  the  lamb,  you  know/ 
The  teacher  did  reply. 

And  might  have  added  that  as  Mary  fed  the 
lamb  three  times  a  day  and  twice  on  Sundays, 
he  probably  not  only  knew  on  which  side  his 
daily  bread  was  buttered,  but  also  who  but 
tered  it." 

"Dreadful   boy!"   laughed   Bell.     "Polly, 
pray  lower  the  umbrella ;  we  are  going  to  meet 


46  THE  JOURNEY. 

some  respectable  people,  and  we  actually  are 
too  dirty  to  be  seen.  I  have  really  been  eating 
dust."  ' 

"They  must  be  equally  dusty/'  said  Polly, 
sagely.  "  Why,  it  is  the  Burtons,  from  Tacitas 
ranch ! " 

The  Burton  ranch  wagon  was  drawn  up,  as 
its  driver  recognized  Dr.  Winship,  and  he  pro 
ceeded  to  cheer  the  spirits  of  the  party  by 
telling  them  that  he  had  passed  Pancho  two 
hours  before,  and  that  he  was  busily  clearing 
rubbish  from  the  camping-ground.  This  was 
six  o'clock,  and  by  a  little  after  eight  the 
weary,  happy  party  were  seated  on  saddle- 
blankets  and  carriage-cushions  round  a  cheery 
camp-fire,  eating  a  frugal  meal,  which  tasted 
sweeter  than  nectar  and  ambrosia  to  their  keen 
appetites. 

The  boys  expressed  their  intention  of  spend 
ing  the  night  in  unpacking  their  baggage  and 
getting  to  rights  generally,  but  Dr.  Winship 
placed  a  prompt  and  decisive  veto  on  this  prop 
osition,  and  they  submitted  cheerfully  to  his 
better  judgment. 

Getting  to  bed  was  an  exciting  occupation 
for  everybody.  Dicky  was  first  tucked  up  in 
a  warm  nest  of  rugs  and  blankets,  under  a 
tree,  and  sank  into  a  profound  slumber  at  once, 


THE  JOURNEY.  47 

with  the  happy  unconsciousness  of  childhood. 
His  father  completed  the  preparations  for  his 
comfort  by  opening  a  huge  umbrella  and  ar 
ranging  it  firmly  over  his  head,  so  that  no  fall 
ing  leaf  might  frighten  him  and  no  sudden 
gust  of  air  blow  upon  his  face. 

Bell  stood  before  her  hammock,  and  med 
itated.  "  Well/'  she  said,  "  going  to  bed  is  a 
simple  matter,  after  all,  when  you  have  shorn 
it  of  all  useless  formalities.  Let  me  see :  I 
generally  walk  to  and  fro  in  the  room,  eating  a 
bunch  of  grapes  or  an  orange,  look  out  of  the 
window  five  or  ten  minutes,  brush  my  hair, 
read  my  chapter  in  the  Bible,  take  my  book 
and  study  Spanish  five  minutes,  on  the  prin 
ciple  of  that  abnormal  woman  who  learned 
ninety-six  languages  while  she  was  waiting  for 
the  kettle  to  boil  in  the  morning  "  — 

"  Must  have  been  a  slow  boiler,"  interrupted 
Polly,  wickedly.  "  Seems  to  me  it  would  have 
been  economy  to  sell  it  and  buy  a  new  one. " 

"  Oh,  Polly  !  you  are  so  willfully  stupid  ! 
The  kettle  is  n't  the  point  —  but  the  lan 
guages.  Besides,  she  did  n't  learn  all  the 
ninety-six  while  the  kettle  was  boiling  once, 
you  know." 

"Oh,  didn't  she?  That  alters  the  case. 
Thank  you,"  said  Polly,  sarcastically. 


48  THE  JOURNEY. 

"Now  observe  me/'  said  Bell.  "I  have 
made  the  getting  into  a  hammock  a  study.  I 
first  open  it  very  wide  at  the  top  with  both 
hands ;  then,  holding  it  in  that  position,  I 
gracefully  revolve  my  body  from  left  to  right 
as  upon  an  imaginary  swivel ;  meantime  I  raise 
my  right  foot  considerably  from  mother  earth, 
with  a  view  to  passing  it  over  the  hammock's 
edge.  Every  move  is  calculated,  you  perceive, 
and  produces  its  own  share  of  the  perfect  re 
sult  ;  the  method  is  the  same  that  Rachel  used 
in  rehearsing  her  wonderful  tragic  poses.  I  am 
now  seated  in  the  hammock,  you  observe,  with 
both  hands  extending  the  net  from  side  to  side 
and  the  right  foot  well  in  position ;  I  now  raise 
the  left  foot  with  a  swift  but  admirably  steady 
movement,  and  I  am  —  Help !  Help  !  !  Mur 
der !!!  " 

"  In  short,  you  are  not  in,  but  out,"  cried 
Polly,  in  a  burst  of  laughter ;  for  Bell  had 
leaned  too  far  to  the  right,  and  on  bringing 
the  other  foot  in,  with  its  "  swift  but  admirably 
steady"  motion,  she  gave  a  sudden  lurch,  pulled 
the  hammock  entirely  over  herself  and  fell  out 
head  first  on  the  other  side,  leaving  her  feet 
tangled  in  its  meshes.  "  Shall  we  help  her  out, 
Meg  ?  She  does  n't  deserve  it,  after  that  pom 
pous  oration  and  attempt  to  show  off  her  supe- 


THE  JOURNEY.  49 

rior  abilities.  Nevertheless,  she  always  accepts 
mercy  more  gracefully  than  justice.  Heave 
ahoy,  my  hearties !  " 

Bell  was  extricated,  and  looked  sufficiently 
ashamed. 

"  We  are  much  obliged  for  the  lesson/'  said 
Margery,  "  but  the  method  is  open  to  criticism ; 
so  I  think  we  '11  manage  in  our  ordinary  savage 
way.  We  may  not  be  graceful  or  scientific, 
but  we  get  in,  which  is  the  main  point." 

The  hammocks  did  not  prove  the  easiest  of 
nests,  as  the  girls  had  imagined.  In  fact,  to 
be  perfectly  candid  about  the  matter,  the  wicked 
flea  of  California,  which  man  pursueth  but  sel 
dom  catcheth,  is  apt,  on  many  a  summer  night, 
to  interfere  shamelessly  with  slumber.  On  this 
particular  night  he  was  fairly  rampant,  perhaps 
because  sweet  humanity  on  which  to  feed  was 
very  scarce  in  that  canon. 

"  Good  -  night,  girls  !  "  called  Jack,  when 
matters  seemed  to  be  finally  settled  for  sleep. 
"  Bell,  you  must  keep  one  eye  open,  for  the 
coyotes  will  be  stealing  down  the  mountain  in 
a  jiffy,  and  yours  is  the  first  hammock  in  the 
path." 

"  Of  course,"  moaned  Bell,  —  "  that 's  why 
the  girls  gave  me  this  one;  they  knew  very 
well  that  one  victim  always  slakes  the  animals' 


50  THE  JOURNEY. 

thirst  for  blood.  Well,  let  them  come  on.  I 
shiver  with  terror,  but  my  only  hope  is  that  I 
may  be  eaten  in  my  sleep,  if  at  all." 

"  There  was  a  young  party  named  Bell, 
Who  slept  out-of-doors  for  a  spell ; 

When  asked  how  she  fared, 

She  said  she  was  scared, 
But  otherwise  doing  quite  well. 

"How's  that?"  asked  Jack.  "I  shall  be 
able  to  drive  Bell  off  her  own  field,  with  a  lit 
tle  practice." 

"  Go  to  sleep  !  "  roared  Dr.  Paul.  "  In  your 
present  condition  of  mind  and  body  you  are 
not  fit  for  poetry !  " 

"  That 's  just  the  point,  sir,"  retorted  Jack, 
slyly,  "  for,  you  remember,  poets  are  uotjit,  but 
nascitur,  —  don't  you  know  ?  "  and  he  retired 
under  his  blanket  for  protection. 

But  quiet  seemed  to  be  impossible  : .  there 
were  all  sorts  of  strange  sounds ;  and  the  moon, 
too,  was  so  splendid  that  they  almost  felt  as  if 
they  were  lying  beneath  the  radiance  of  a  cal 
cium  light ;  while  in  the  dark  places,  midst  the 
branches  of  thick  foliage,  the  owls  hooted 
gloomily.  If  you  had  happened  ,to  be  an  owl 
in  that  vicinity,  you  might  have  heard  not  only 
the  feverish  tossing  to  and  fro  of  the  girls 
in  the  hammocks,  but  many  dismal  sighs  and 


THE  JOURNEY.  51 

groans  from  Dr.  Winship  and  the  boys ;  for 
the  bare  ground  is,  after  all,  more  rheumatic 
than  romantic,  and  they  too  tumbled  from  side 
to  side,  seeking  comfort. 

But  at  midnight  quiet  slumber  had  de 
scended  upon  them,  and  they  presented  a  funny 
spectacle  enough  to  one  open-eyed  watcher. 
A  long  slender  sycamore  log  was  extended 
before  the  fire,  and  constituted  their  pillow ;  on 
this  their  heads  reposed,  each  decorated  with  a 
tightly  fitting  silk  handkerchief ;  then  came  a 
compact,  papoose-like  roll  of  gray  blanket,  ter 
minated  by  a  pair  of  erect  feet,  whose  generous 
proportions  soared  to  different  heights.  There 
was  a  little  snoring,  too ;  perhaps  the  log  was 
hollow. 

At  midnight  you  might  have  seen  a  quaintly 
despondent  little  figure,  whose  curly  head  issued 
from  a  hooded  cloak,  staggering  hopelessly  from 
a  hammock,  and  seating  herself  on  a  mossy 
stump.  From  the  limpness  of  her  attitude  and 
the  pathetic  expression  of  her  eyes,  I  fear  Polly 
was  reviewing  former  happy  nights  spent  on 
spring  beds ;  and  at  this  particular  moment  the 
realities  of  camping  out  hardly  equaled  her 
anticipations.  Whatever  may  have  been  her 
feelings,  however,  they  were  promptly  stifled 
when  a  certain  insolent  head  reared  itself  from 


52  THE  JOURNEY. 

its  blanket-roll,  and  a  hoarse  voice  cackled, 
"  Pretty  Poll!  Polly  want  a  canon?"  At 
this  insult,  Miss  Oliver  wrapped  her  drapery 
about  her  and  strode  to  her  hammock  with  the 
air  of  a  tragedy  queen. 


CHAPTER  III. 

LIFE    IN    THE    CA^ON. THE    HEIR    APPARENT 

LOSES    HIMSELF. 

"  Know'st  thou  the  land  where  the  lemonrtrees  bloom, 
Where  the  gold  orange  glows  in  the  green  thicket's  gloom ; 
Where  the  wind,  ever  soft,  from  the  blue  heaven  blows, 
And  groves  are  of  myrtle   and  olive,  and  rose?  " 

ON  the  next  morning,  as  we  have  seen,  they 
named  their  summer  home  Camp  Chapar 
ral,  and  for  a  week  or  more  they  were  the  very 
busiest  colony  of  people  under  the  sun ;  for  it 
takes  a  deal  of  hard  work  and  ingenuity  to 
make  a  comfortable  and  beautiful  dwelling- 
place  in  the  forest. 

The  best  way  of  showing  you  how  they 
accomplished  this  is  to  describe  the  camp  after 
it  was  nearly  finished. 

The  two  largest  bedroom  tents  were  made  of 


54  LIFE  IN  THE   CANON. 

bright  awning  cloth,  one  of  red  and  white,  the 
other  of  blue  and  white,  both  gayly  decorated 
with  braid.  They  were  pitched  under  the 
same  giant  oak,  and  yet  were  nearly  forty  feet 
apart ;  that  of  the  girls  having  a  canvas  floor. 
They  were  not  quite  willing  to  sleep  on  the 
ground,  so  they  had  brought  empty  bed-sacks 
with  them,  and  Pancho's  first  duty  after  his 
arrival  had  been  to  drive  to  a  neighboring 
ranch  for  a  great  load  of  straw. 

In  a  glorious  tree  near  by  was  a  "  sky  par 
lor,"  arranged  by  a  few  boards  nailed  high  up 
in  the  leafy  branches,  and  reached  from  below 
by  a  primitive  ladder.  This  was  the  favorite 
sitting-room  of  the  girls  by  day,  and  served  for 
Pancho's  bedroom  at  night.  It  was  beautiful 
enough  to  be  fit  shelter  for  all  the  woodland 
nymphs,  with  its  festoons  of  mistletoe  and  wild 
grape-vines ;  but  Pancho  was  rather  an  unap- 
preciative  tenant,  even  going  so  far  as  to  snore 
in  the  sacred  place ! 

Just  beyond  was  a  card-room,  —  imagine  it ! 
—  in  which  a  square  board,  nailed  on  a  low 
stump,  served  for  a  table,  where  Dr.  Paul  and 
the  boys  played  many  a  game  of  crib,  back 
gammon,  and  checkers.  Here,  too,  all  Elsie's 
letters  were  written  and  Bell's  nonsense  verses, 
and  here  was  the  identical  spot  where  Jack 


LIFE  IN  THE   CANON.  55 

Howard,  that  mischievous  knight  of  the  brush, 
perpetrated  those  modern  travesties  on  the 
"  William  Henry  pictures/'  for  Elsie's  delecta 
tion. 

The  dressing-room  was  reached  by  a  path 
cut  through  bushes  to  a  charming  little  pool. 
Here  were  unmistakable  evidences  of  feminine 
art :  looking-glasses  hanging  to  trees,  snowy 
wash-cloths,  each  bearing  its  owner's  initials, 
adorning  the  shrubs,  while  numerous  towels 
waved  in  the  breeze.  Between  two  trees  a  thin 
board  was  nailed,  which  appeared  to  be  used, 
as  nearly  as  the  woodpeckers  could  make  out, 
as  a  toothbrush  rack.  In  this,  Philip,  the  skill 
ful  carpenter,  had  bored  the  necessary  number 
of  holes,  and  each  one  contained  a  toothbrush 
tied  with  a  gorgeous  ribbon. 

In  this  secluded  spot  Bell  was  wont  to  mar 
shal  every  morning  the  entire  force  of  "the 
toothbrush  brigade ; "  and,  conducting  the  drill 
with  much  ingenuity,  she  would  take  her  victims 
through  a  long  series  of  military  manoeuvres 
arranged  for  the  toothbrush.  Oh,  the  gaspings, 
the  chokings  and  stranglings,  which  occurred 
when  she  mounted  a  rock  by  the  edge  of  the 
pool,  and  after  calling  in  tones  of  thunder, 

"  Brush,  brothers,  brush  with  care  ! 
Brush  iu  the  presence  of  the  commandaire  ! " 


56  LIFE  IN  THE  CANON. 

ordered  her  unwilling  privates  to  polish  their 
innocent  molars  to  the  tune  of  "  Hail,  Colum 
bia  "  or  «  Auld  Lang  Syne  "  !  And  if  they 
became  mutinous,  it  was  Geoffrey  who  reduced 
them  to  submission,  and  ordered  them  to  brush 
for  three  mornings  to  the  tune  of  "  Bluebells 
of  Scotland  "  as  a  sign  of  loyalty  to  their  com 
mander. 

As  for  the  furnishing  of  the  camp,  there 
were  impromptu  stools  and  tables  made  of 
packing-boxes  and  trunks,  all  covered  with 
bright  Turkey  red  cotton ;  there  were  no  less 
than  three  rustic  lounges  and  two  armchairs 
made  from  manzanita  branches,  and  a  Queen 
Anne  bedstead  was  being  slowly  constructed, 
day  by  day,  by  the  ambitious  boys  for  their 
beloved  Elsie. 

One  corner  of  each  tent  was  curtained  off 
for  a  bath-room,  another  for  a  clothes-press, 
and  there  were  a  dozen  devices  for  comfort,  as 
Dr.  Winship  was  opposed  to  any  more  incon 
venience  than  was  strictly  necessary.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Winship  and  little  Dicky  occupied  one  tent, 
the  boys  another,  and  the  girls  a  third. 

When  Bell,  Polly,  and  Margery  emerged 
from  their  tent  on  the  second  morning,  they 
were  disagreeably  surprised  to  see  a  large 
placard  over  the  front  entrance,  bearing  the 


LIFE  IN  THE   CANON.  57 

insolent  inscription,  "  Tent  Chatter."  They 
said  nothing;  but  on  the  night  after,  a  com 
mittee  of  two  stole  out  and  glued  a  companion 
placard,  "  Tent  Clatter,"  over  the  door  of  their 
masculine  neighbors.  And  to  tell  the  truth,  one 
was  as  well  deserved  as  the  other ;  for  if  there 
was  generally  a  subdued  hum  of  conversation 
in  the  one,  there  never  failed  to  be  a  perfect 
din  and  uproar  in  the  other. 

Under  a  great  sycamore-tree  stood  the 
din  ing-table,  which  consisted  of  two  long,  wide 
boards  placed  together  upon  a  couple  of  bar 
rels  ;  and  not  far  away  was  the  brush  kitchen, 
which  should  have  been  a  work  of  art,  for  it 
represented  the  combined  genius  of  American, 
Mexican,  and  Chinese  carpenters,  Dr.  Winship, 
Pancho,  and  Hop  Yet  having  labored  in  its 
erection.  It  really  answered  the  purpose  ad 
mirably,  and  looked  quite  like  a  conventional 
California  kitchen ;  that  is,  it  was  ten  feet 
square,  and  contained  a  table,  a  stove,  and  a 
Chinaman. 

The  young  people,  by  the  way,  had  fought 
bitterly  against  the  stove,  protesting  with  all 
their  might  against  taking  it.  Polly  and  Jack 
declared  that  they  would  starve  sooner  than 
eat  anything  that  had  n't  been  cooked  over 
a  camp-fire.  Bell  and  Philip  said  that  they 


58  LIFE  IN  THE   CANON. 

should  stand  in  front  of  it  all  the  time,  for 
fear  somebody  would  ride  through  the  canon 
and  catch  them  camping  out  with  a  stove. 
Imagine  such  a  situation  ;  it  made  them  blush. 
Margery  said  she  wished  people  were  n't  quite 
so  practical,  and  would  n't  ruin  nature  by 
introducing  such  ugly  and  unnecessary  things. 
She  intended  to  point  the  moral  by  drawing 
a  picture  of  Adam  and  Eve  in  the  Garden 
of  Eden,  —  Eve  bending  over  a  cook-stove 
and  Adam  peeling  apples  with  a  machine. 
Geoffrey  scoffed  at  Margery's  sentimentalism, 
put  on  his  most  trying  air,  and  declared 
that  if  he  had  his  pork  and  onions  served  up 
"  hot  and  reg'lar,"  he  did  n't  care  how  she  had 
her  victuals  cooked. 

They  were  all  somewhat  appeased,  however, 
when  they  found  that  Dr.  Winship  was  as  anx 
ious  as  they  for  an  evening  camp-fire,  and 
merely  insisted  upon  the  stove  because  it  sim 
plified  the  cookery.  Furthermore,  being  an 
eminently  just  man,  he  yielded  so  far  as  to 
give  them  permission  to  prepare  their  own 
meals  on  a  private  camp-fire  whenever  they 
desired ;  and  this  effectually  stopped  the  argu 
ment,  for  no  one  was  willing  to  pay  so  heavy 
a  price  for  effect. 

The  hammocks,  made  of  gayly  colored  cords, 


LIFE  IN  THE   CANON.  59 

were  slung  in  various  directions  a  short  dis 
tance  from  the  square  tent,  which,  being  the 
family  sitting-room  was  the  centre  of  attrac 
tion.  It  was  arranged  with  a  gay  canopy,  twenty 
feet  square.  Three  sides  were  made  by  hang 
ing  full  curtains  of  awning  cloth  from  red 
wood  rods  by  means  of  huge  brass  rings. 
These  curtains  were  looped  back  during  the 
day  and  dropped  after  dark,  making  a  cozy 
and  warm  interior  from  which  to  watch  the 
camp-fire  on  cool  evenings. 

As  for  the  Canon  de  las  Flores  itself,  this 
little  valley  of  the  flowers,  it  was  beautiful 
enough  in  every  part  to  inspire  an  artist's  pen 
cil  or  a  poet's  pen;  so  quiet  and  romantic  it 
was,  too,  it  might  almost  have  been  under  a 
spell,  —  the  home  of  some  sleepy,  enchanted 
princess  waiting  the  magic  kiss  of  a  princely 
lover.  It  reached  from  the  ocean  to  the  moun 
tains,  and  held  a  thousand  different  pictures  on 
which  to  feast  the  eye ;  for  Dame  Nature  deals 
out  beauty  with  a  lavish  hand  in  this  land  of 
perpetual  summer,  song,  and  sunshine.  There 
were  many  noble  oak-trees,  some  hung  pro 
fusely  with  mistletoe,  and  others  with  the  long, 
Spanish  graybeard  moss,  that  droops  from  the 
branches  in  silvery  lines,  like  water  spray. 
Sometimes,  in  the  moonlight,  it  winds  about 


60  LIFE  IN   THE   CAR  ON. 

the  oak  like  a  shroud,  and  then  again  like  a 
filmy  bridal  veil,  or  drippings  of  mist  from  a 
frozen  tree. 

Here  and  there  were  open  tracts  of  ground 
between  the  clumps  of  trees,  like  that  in  which 
the  tents  were  pitched,  —  sunny  places,  where 
the  earth  was  warm  and  dry,  and  the  lizards 
blinked  sleepily  under  the  stones. 

Farther  up  the  canon  were  superb  bay-trees, 
with  their  glossy  leaves  and  aromatic  odor,  and 
the  madrono,  which,  with  its  blood-red  skin,  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  California  trees, 
having  an  open  growth,  like  a  maple,  bright 
green  lustrous  leaves,  and  a  brilliant  red  bark, 
which  peels  off  at  regular  seasons,  giving  place 
to  a  new  one  of  delicate  pea-green. 

There  were  no  birches  with  pure  white  skin, 
or  graceful  elms,  or  fluffy  pussy  willows,  but  so 
many  beautiful  foreign  things  that  it  would 
seem  ungrateful  to  mourn  those  left  behind  in 
the  dear  New  England  woods ;  and  as  for 
flowers,  there  are  no  yellow  and  purple  violets, 
fragile  anemones,  or  blushing  Mayflowers,  but 
in  March  the  hillsides  are  covered  with  red,  in 
April  flushed  with  pink  and  blue,  in  May  bril 
liant  with  yellow  blossoms ;  and  in  the  canons, 
where  the  earth  is  moist,  there  are  flowers  all 
the  year. 


LIFE  IN  THE  CANON.  61 

And  then  the  girls  would  never  forgive  me 
if  I  should  forget  the  superb  yucca,  or  Span 
ish  bayonet,  which  is  as  beautiful  as  a  tropical 
queen.  Its  tall,  slender  stalk  has  no  twigs  or 
branches,  but  its  leaves  hang  down  from  the 
top  like  bayonet-blades ;  and  oh,  there  rises 
from  the  centre  of  them  such  a  stately  princess 
of  a  flower,  like  a  tree  in  itself,  laden  with 
cream-white,  velvety,  fragrant  blossoms. 

The  boys  often  climbed  the  hillsides  and 
brought  home  these  splendid  treasures,  which 
were  placed  in  pails  of  water  at  the  tent  doors, 
to  shed  their  luxuriant  beauty  and  sweetness 
in  the  air  for  days  together.  They  brought 
home  quantities  of  Spanish  moss,  and  wild 
clematis,  and  manzanita  berries  too,  with  which 
to  decorate  the  beloved  camp  ;  and  even  Dicky 
trotted  back  with  his  arms  full  of  gorgeous 
blossoms  and  grasses,  which  he  arranged  with 
great  taste  and  skill  in  mugs,  bottles,  and  cans 
on  the  dining-table. 

Can't  you  see  what  a  charming  place  it  was  ? 
And  I  have  not  begun  to  tell  you  the  half  yet ; 
for  there  was  always  a  soft  wind  stirring  the 
leaves  in  dreamy  music,  and  above  and  through 
this  whispered  sound  you  heard  the  brook 
splashing  over  its  pebbly  bed,  —  splashing  and 
splashing  and  laughing  all  it  possibly  could, 


62  LIFE  IN  THE  CANON. 

knowing  it  would  speedily  be  dried  up  by  the 
thirsty  August  sun.  Every  few  yards  part  of 
the  stream  settled  down  contentedly  into  a 
placid  little  pool,  while  the  most  inquisitive  and 
restless  little  drops  flowed  noisily  down  to  see 
what  was  going  on  below.  The  banks  were 
fringed  with  graceful  alders  and  poison-oak 
bushes,  vivid  in  crimson  and  yellow  leaves,  while 
delicate  maiden -hair  ferns  grew  in  miniature 
forests  between  the  crevices  of  the  rocks ;  yet, 
with  the  practicality  of  Chinese  human  nature, 
Hop  Yet  used  all  this  beauty  for  a  dish-pan 
and  refrigerator ! 

Now,  confess  that,  after  having  seen  exactly 
how  it  looks,  you  would  like  to  rub  a  magic 
lamp,  like  Aladdin,  and  wish  yourself  there 
with  our  merry  young  sextette.  For  California 
is  a  lovely  land  and  a  strange  one,  even  at  this 
late  day,  when  her  character  has  been  nearly 
ruined  by  dreadful  stories,  or  made  ridiculous 
by  foolish  ones. 

When  you  were  all  babies  in  long  clothes, 
some  people  used  to  believe  that  there  were 
nuggets  of  gold  to  be  picked  up  in  the  streets, 
and  that  in  the  flowery  valleys,  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey,  there  grew  groves  of  beet- 
trees,  and  forests  of  cabbages,  and  shady  bowers 
of  squash- vines ;  and  they  thought  that  through 


LIFE  IN  THE  CANON.  63 

these  fertile  valleys  strode  men  of  curious  mien, 
wild  bandits  and  highway  robbers,  with  red 
flannel  shirts  and  many  pockets  filled  with 
playing-cards  and  revolvers  and  bowie-knives; 
and  that  when  you  met  these  frightful  persons 
and  courteously  asked  the  time  of  day,  they 
were  apt  to  turn  and  stab  you  to  the  heart  by 
way  of  response. 

Now,  some  of  these  things  were  true,  and 
some  were  not,  and  some  will  never  happen 
again ;  for  the  towns  and  cities  no  longer  con 
duct  themselves  like  headstrong  young  tomboys 
out  on  a  lark,  but  have  grown  into  ancient  and 
decorous  settlements  some  twenty-five  or  thirty 
years  old. 

Perhaps  California  is  n't  really  so  interest 
ing  since  she  began  to  learn  manners ;  but  she 
is  a  land  of  wonders  still,  with  her  sublime 
mountains  and  valleys ;  her  precious  metals ;  her 
vineyards  and  orchards  of  lemons  and  oranges, 
figs,  limes,  and  nuts ;  her  mammoth  vegetables, 
each  big  enough  for  a  newspaper  story ;  her 
celebrated  trees,  on  the  stumps  of  which  dan 
cing-parties  are  given  ;  her  vultures ;  her  griz 
zly  bears;  and  her  people,  drawn  from  every 
nook  and  corner  of  the  map,  —  pink,  yellow, 
blue,  red,  and  green  countries.  And  though 
the  story  of  California  is  not  written,  in  all  its 


64  LIFE  IN  THE   CANON. 

romantic  details,  in  the  school-books  of  to-day, 
it  is  a  part  of  the  poetry  of  our  late  American 
history,  full  of  strange  and  thrilling  scenes,, 
glowing  with  interest  and  dramatic  fire. 

I  know  a  little  girl  wrho  crossed  the  plains 
in  that  great  ungeneraled  army  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  thousand  people  that  made  the  long 
and  weary  journey  to  the  land  of  gold  in  1849. 
She  tells  her  children  now  of  the  strange,  long 
days  and  months  in  the  ox-team,  passing 
through  the  heat  and  dust  of  alkali  deserts, 
fording  rivers,  and  toiling  over  steep  mountains. 
She  tells  them  how  at  night  she  often  used  to 
lie  awake,  curled  up  in  her  gray  blanket,  and 
hear  the  men  talking  together  of  the  gold 
treasures  they  were  to  dig  from  the  ground,  — 
treasures,  it  seemed  to  her  childish  mind,  more 
precious  than  those  of  which  she  read  in  "  The 
Arabian  Nights."  And  from  a  little  hole  in 
the  canvas  cover  of  the  old  emigrant  wagon 
she  used  to  see  the  tired  fathers  and  brothers, 
worn  and  footsore  from  their  hard  day's  tramp, 
some  sleeping  restlessly,  and  others  guarding 
the  cattle  or  watching  for  Indians,  who  were 
always  expected,  and  often  came  ;  and  the  last 
thing  at  night,  when  her  eyes  were  heavy  with 
sleep,  she  peered  dreamily  out  into  the  dark 
ness  to  see  the  hundreds  of  gleaming  camp-fires, 


LIFE  IN  THE   CANON.  65 

which  dotted  the  plain  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach. 


You  will  have  noticed  that  this  first  week 
of  camp-life  was  a  quiet  one,  spent  mostly 
by  the  young  people  in  getting  their  open-air 
home  comfortably  arranged,  making  conveni 
ences  of  all  kinds,  becoming  acquainted  with 
the  canon  so  far  as  they  could,  and  riding 
once  or  twice  to  neighboring  ranches  for  hay 
or  provisions. 

Dr.  Winship  believed  in  a  good  beginning ; 
and,  as  this  was  not  a  week's  holiday,  but  a 
summer  campaign,  he  wanted  his  young  people 
to  get  fully  used  to  the  situation  before  under 
taking  any  of  the  exciting  excursions  in  pros 
pect.  So,  before  the  week  was  over,  they 
began  to  enjoy  sound,  dreamless  sleep  on  their 
hard  straw  beds,  to  eat  the  plain  fare  with 
decided  relish,  to  grow  a  little  hardy  and  brown, 
and  quite  strong  and  tough  enough  for  a  long 
tramp  or  horseback  ride. 

After  a  religious  devotion  to  cold  cream  for 
a  few  nights,  Polly  had  signified  her  terrible 
intention  of  "  letting  her  nose  go."  "  I  dis 
own  it !  "  she  cried,  peeping  in  her  tiny  mirror, 
and  lighting  up  her  too  rosy  tints  with  a  tallow 
candle.  "  Hideous  objick,  I  defy  thee  !  Spot 


66  LIFE  IN  THE   CANON. 

and  speckle,  yea,  burn  to  a  crisp,  and  shed  thy 
skin  afterwards  !  I  care  not.  Indeed,  I  shall 
be  well  rid  of  thee,  thou  —  hm  —  thou  —  well, 
leopard,  for  instance." 

One  beautiful  day  followed  another,  each  the 
exact  counterpart  of  the  one  that  had  preceded 
it ;  for  Calif ornia  boys  and  girls  never  have  to 
say  "  wind  and  weather  permitting  "  from  March 
or  April  until  November.  They  always  know 
what  the  weather  is  going  to  do  ;  and  whether 
this  is  an  advantage  or  not  is  a  difficult  matter 
to  settle  conclusively. 

New  England  boys  affirm  that  they  would  n't 
live  in  a  country  where  it  could  n't  rain  any  day 
it  felt  like  it,  and  California  lads  retort  that 
they  are  glad  their  dispositions  are  not  ruined 
by  the  freaks  of  New  England  weather.  At 
all  events,  it  is  a  paradise  for  would-be  campers, 
and  any  one  who  should  assert  the  contrary 
would  meet  with  energetic  opposition  from  the 
loyal  dwellers  in  Camp.  Chaparral. 

Bell  returned  one  day  from  a  walk  which  she 
had  taken  by  herself,  while  the  other  girls  were 
off  on  some  errand  with  the  Doctor.  After 
luncheon  she  drew  them  mysteriously  into  the 
square  tent,  and  lowered  the  curtains. 

"What  is  it?"  Polly  whispered,  with  an 
anxious  expression  of  countenance.  "  Have 


LIFE  IN  THE  CANON.  67 

you  lost  your  gold  thimble  again,  or  your  tem 
per,  or  have  you  discovered  a  silver-mine  ?  " 

"  I  have  found/'  she  answered  mysteriously, 
"the  most  beautifully  secret  place  you  ever 
beheld.  It  will  be  just  the  spot  for  us  to  write 
and  study  in  when  we  want  to  be  alone ;  or  it 
will  even  do  for  a  theatre;  and  it  is  scarcely 
more  than  half  a  mile  up  the  canon." 

"  How  did  you  find  it?"  asked  Margery. 

"  As  I  was  walking  along  by  the  brookside, 
I  saw  a  snake  making  its  way  through  the 
bushes,  and  "  — 

"  Goodness  !  "  shrieked  Polly,  "  I  shall  not 
write  there,  thank  you." 

"  Goose  !  Just  wait  a  minute.  I  looked  at 
it,  and  followed  at  a  distance ;  it  was  a  harm 
less  little  thing ;  and  I  thought,  for  the  fun  of 
it,  I  would  just  push  blindly  on  and  see  what  I 
should  find,  because  we  are  forever  walking  in 
the  beaten  path,  and  I  long  for  something 


new." 


"  A  bad  instinct,"  remarked  Madge,  "  and 
one  which  will  get  you  into  trouble,  so  you 
should  crush  it  in  its  infancy." 

"  Well,  I  took  up  my  dress  and  ploughed 
through  the  chaparral,  until  I  came,  in  about 
three  minutes  of  scratching  and  fighting,  to  an 
open  circular  place  about  as  large  as  this  tent. 


68  LIFE  IN  THE  CAJVON. 

It  was  exactly  round,  which  is  the  curious  part 
of  it ;  and  in  the  centre  was  one  stump,  cov 
ered  with  moss  and  surrounded  by  great  white 
toadstools.  How  any  one  happened  to  go  in 
there  and  cut  down  a  single  tree  I  can't  under 
stand,  nor  yet  how  they  managed  to  bring  out 
the  tree  through  the  tangled  brush.  It  is  so 
strange  that  it  seems  as  if  there  must  be  a 
mystery  about  it." 

"Certainly,"  said  Margery  promptly.  "A 
tragedy  of  the  darkest  kind!  Some  cruel 
wretch  has  cut  down,  in  the  pride  and  pomp  of 
its  beauty,  one  sycamore-tree ;  its  innocent  life- 
blood  has  stained  the  ground  and  given  birth 
to  the  white  toadstools  which  mark  the  spot 
and  testify  to  the  purity  of  the  victim." 

"  Well,"  continued  Bell  impressively, "  I  knew 
I  could  never  find  it  again ;  and  I  wanted  so 
much  you  should  see  it  that  I  took  the  ball  of 
twine  we  always  carry,  unrolled  it,  and  dropped 
the  thread  all  the  way  along  to  the  brookside, 
like  Phrygia,  or  Melpomene,  or  Anemone,  or 
whatever  her  name  was." 

"  Or  Artesia,  or  Polynesia,  or  Euthanasia," 
interrupted  Polly.  "I  think  the  lady  you 
mean  is  Ariadne." 

"  Exactly.  Now  we  '11  take  papa  to  see  it, 
and  then  we  '11  fit  it  up  as  a  retreat.  Won't 


LIFE  IN  THE   CANON.  .        69 

it  be   charming  ?      We  '11   call   it   the    Lone 
Stump." 

"  Oh,  I  like  that ;  it  makes  me  shiver  !  "  cried 
Polly.  "  I  'm  going  to  write  an  ode  to  it  at 
once.  Ahem  !  It  shall  begin  —  let  me  see  — 

"  O  lonely  tree, 
What  cruel  '  he ' 
Did  lay  thee  low  ? 
Tell  us  the  facts  ; 
Did  cruel  axe 
Ahuse  thee  so  ?" 

"  Sublime !  Second  verse/'  said  Bell  slowly, 
with  pauses  between  the  lines :  — 

"  Or  did  a  gopher, 
The  wicked  loafer, 
Gnaw  at  thy  base, 
And,  doing  so, 
Contrive  to  go, 
And  leave  no  trace  ?  " 

"  Oh  dear !  "  sighed  Margery  ;  "  if  you  will 
do  it,  wait  a  minute. 

"  O  toadstools  white, 
Pray  give  us  light 
Upon  the  question. 
Did  gopher  gnaw, 
And  live  in  awe 
Of  indigestion  ?  " 

"  Good !  "  continued  Bell :  — 

"  Or  did  a  man 
Malicious  plan 


70  LIFE  IN  THE  CANON. 

The  good  tree's  ruin, 
And  leave  it  so 
Convenient  low, 
As  seat  for  Bruin  ? 


"  For  traveling  grizzlies,  you  know.  We  may 
go  there  and  see  a  hungry  creature  making  a 
stump-speech,  while  an  admiring  audience  of 
grasshoppers  and  tarantulas  seat  themselves  in 
a  circle  on  the  toadstools." 

"  Charming  prospect !  "  said  Madge.  "  I 
don't  think  I  care  to  visit  the  Lone  Stump  or 
pass  my  mornings  there." 

"  Nonsense,  dear  child ;  it  is  just  like  every 
other  part  of  the  canon,  only  a  little  more 
lonely.  It  is  not  half  a  mile  from  camp,  and 
hardly  a  dozen  steps  from  the  place  where  the 
boys  go  so  often  to  shoot  quail." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  girls.  "  We  must  go 
there  to-morrow  morning ;  and  perhaps  we  'd 
better  not  tell  the  boys,  —  they  are  so  peculiar. 
Jack  will  certainly  interfere  with  us  in  some 
way,  if  he  hears  about  it." 

"  Now  let  us  take  our  books  and  run  down 
by  the  pool  for  an  hour  or  two,"  said  Bell. 
"  Papa  and  the  boys  are  all  off  shooting,  and 
mamma  is  lying  down.  We  can  have  a  cool, 
quiet  time ;  the  sunshine  is  so  hot  here  by  the 
tents." 


LIFE  IN  THE  CANON.  71 

Accordingly,  they  departed,  as  they  often 
did,  for  one  of  the  prolonged  chats  in  which 
school-girls  are  wont  to  indulge,  and  which  so 
often,  too,  are  but  idle,  senseless  chatter. 

These  young  people,  however,  had  been  for 
tunate  in  having  the  wisest  and  most  loving 
guardianship,  so  that  all  their  happy  young 
lives  had  been  spent  to  good  purpose.  They 
had  not  shirked  study,  and  so  their  minds  were 
stocked  with  useful  information  ;  they  had  read 
carefully  and  digested  thoroughly  whatever  they 
had  read,  so  that  they  possessed  a  good  deal  of 
general  knowledge.  The  girls  were  bright, 
sensible,  industrious  little  women,  who  tried  to 
be  good,  too,  in  the  old-fashioned  sense  of  the 
word ;  and  full  of  fun,  nonsense,  and  chatter  as 
they  were  among  themselves,  they  never  forgot 
to  be  modest  and  unassuming. 

The  boys  were  pretty  well  in  earnest  about 
life,  too,  with  good  ambitions  and  generous 
aspirations.  They  had  all  been  studying  with 
Dr.  Winship  for  nearly  two  years;  and  that 
means  a  great  deal,  for  he  was  a  real  teacher, 
entering  into  the  lives  of  his  pupils,  sympathiz 
ing  with  them  in  every  way,  and  leading  them, 
through  the  study  of  nature,  of  human  beings, 
and  of  Gad,  to  see  the  beauty  and  meaning  of 
life. 


72  LIFE  IN  THE   CANON. 

Geoffrey  Strong,  of  course,  was  older  than 
the  rest,  having  completed  his  junior  year  at 
college ;  but  Dr.  Winship,  who  was  his  guard 
ian,  thought  it  wiser  for  him  to  rest  a  year 
and  come  to  him  in  California,  as  his  am 
bition  and  energy  had  already  led  him  into 
greater  exertions  than  his  age  or  strength  war 
ranted.  He  was  now  studying  medicine  with 
the  good  Doctor,  but  would  go  back  to  the 
"  land  of  perpetual  pie "  in  the  fall  and  com 
plete  his  college  course. 

A  splendid  fellow  he  was,  —  so  earnest, 
thoughtful,  and  wise ;  so  gravely  tender  in  all 
his  ways  to  aunt  Truth,  who  was  the  only 
mother  he  had  ever  known ;  so  devoted  to  Dr. 
Winship,  who  loved  him  as  his  own  elder  son. 

What  will  Geoffrey  Strong  be  as  a  man  ? 
The  twig  is  bent,  and  it  is  safe  to  predict  how 
the  tree  will  incline.  His  word  will  be  as  good 
as  his  bond ;  he  will  be  a  good  physician,  for 
his  eye  is  quick  to  see  suffering  and  his  hand 
ready  to  relieve  it ;  little  children  with  feverish 
cheeks  and  tired  eyes  will  love  to  clasp  his  cool, 
strong  hand ;  he  will  be  gentle  as  a  woman,  yet 
thoroughly  manly,  as  he  is  now,  for  he  has 
made  the  most  of  his  golden  youth,  and  every 
lad  who  does  that  will  have  a  golden  manhood 
and  a  glorious  old  age. 


LIFE  IN  THE   CANON.  73 

As  for  Philip  Noble,  he  was  a  dear,  good, 
trustworthy  lad,  too ;  kindly,  generous,  practi 
cal,  and  industrious ;  a  trifle  slow  and  reserved, 
perhaps,  but  full  of  common  sense,  —  the  kind 
of  sense  which,  after  all,  is  most  uncommon. 

Bell  once  said  :  "  This  is  the  difference  be 
tween  Philip  and  Geoffrey,  —  one  does,  and  the 
other  is.  Geoff  is  the  real  simon-pure  ideal 
which  we  praise  Philip  for  trying  to  be,"  —  a 
very  good  description  for  a  little  maiden  whose 
bright  eyes  had  only  looked  into  life  for  sixteen 
summers. 

And  now  we  come  to  Jack  Howard,  who 
never  kept  still  long  enough  for  any  one  to 
write  a  description  of  him.  To  explain  how 
he  differed  from  Philip  or  Geoffrey  would  be 
like  bringing  the  Equator  and  the  Tropic  of 
Cancer  together  for  purposes  of  comparison. 

If  there  were  a  horseback  ride,  Jack  rode 
the  wildest  colt,  was  of tenest  thrown  and  least 
often  hurt;  if  a  fishing-party,  Jack  it  was 
who  caught  all  the  fish,  though  he  made  more 
noise  than  any  one  else,  and  followed  no  rules 
laid  down  in  The  Complete  Angler. 

He  was  very  often  in  trouble ;  but  his  mis 
demeanors  were  those  of  pure  mischief,  and 
were  generally  atoned  for  when  it  was  possible. 
He  excelled  in  all  out-of-door  sports.  And 


74  LIFE  IN  THE  CANON. 

indeed,  if  his  prudence  had  at  all  kept  pace 
with  his  ability,  he  might  have  done  remark 
able  things  in  almost  any  direction ;  but  he 
constantly  overshot  the  mark,  and  people 
looked  to  him  for  the  dazzling  brilliancy  and 
uncertainty  of  a  meteor,  but  never  for  the 
steady  glow  of  a  fixed  star. 

Just  now,  Jack  was  a  good  deal  sobered,  and 
appeared  at  his  very  best.  The  teaching  of 
Dr.  Paul  and  the  companionship  of  Geoffrey 
had  done  much  for  him,  while  the  illness  of  his 
sister  Elsie,  who  was  the  darling  of  his  heart, 
acted  constantly  as  a  sort  of  curb  upon  him ; 
for  he  loved  her  with  all  the  ardor  and  passion 
which  he  gave  to  everything  else.  You  might 
be  fearful  of  Jack's  high  spirits  and  riotous 
mirth,  of  his  reckless  actions  and  heedless  jokes, 
but  you  could  scarcely  keep  from  admiring  the 
boy ;  for  he  was  brave  and  handsome  and  win 
some  enough  to  charm  the  very  birds  off  the 
bush,  as  aunt  Truth  acknowledged,  after  giving 
him  a  lecture  for  some  misdemeanor. 

The  three  girls  made  their  way  a  short  dis 
tance  up  the  canon  to  a  place  which  they  called 
Prospect  Pool,  because  it  was  so  entirely  shut 
in  from  observation. 

"  Dear  old  Geoff !  "  said  Bell,  throwing  her 
shawl  over  a  rock  and  opening  her  volume  of 


LIFE  IN   THE  CANON.  75 

Caiiyle.  "He  has  gone  all  through  this  for 
me,  and  written  nice  little  remarks  on  the  mar 
gin, —  explanations  and  things,  and  interroga 
tions  where  he  thinks  I  won't  know  what  is 
meant  and  had  better  find  out,  —  bless  his 
heart !  What  have  you  brought,  Margery  ? 
By  the  way,  you  must  move  your  seat  away 
from  that  clump  of  poison-oak  bushes ;  we 
can't  afford  to  have  any  accidents  ^which  will 
interfere  with  our  fun.  We  have  411  sorts  of 
new  remedies,  but  I  prefer  that  the  boys  should 
experiment  with  them." 

"  It 's  the  softest  seat  here,  too,"  grumbled 
Margery.  "  We  must  get  the  boys  to  cut 
these  bushes  down.  Why,  you  have  n't  any 
book,  you  lazy  Polly.  Are  you  going  to  sleep, 
or  shall  you  chatter  and  prevent  our  reading  ?  " 

"  Neither,"  she  answered.  "  Here  is  a 
doughnut  which  I  propose  to  send  down  the 
red  pathway  of  fate ;  and  here  a  pencil  and 
paper  with  which  I  am  going  to  begin  our 
round-robin  letter  to  Elsie." 

"  That 's  good  !  She  has  only  had  notes 
from  Jack  and  one  letter  from  us,  which,  if  I 
remember  right,  had  nothing  in  it." 

"  Thanks !     I  wrote  it,"  sniffed  Bell. 

"  Well,  I  meant  it  had  no  news,  no  account 
of  things,  you  know." 


76  LIFE  IN  THE 

"  No,  I  would  n't  descend  to  writing  news, 
and  I  leave  accounts  to  the  butcher." 

"  Stop  quarreling,  girls  !  This  is  my  plan  : 
I  will  begin  in  my  usual  rockety  style,  some 
times  maliciously  called  the  Polly oliver  method ; 
Margery  will  take  up  the  thread  sedately ;  Bell 
will  plunge  in  with  a  burst  of  enthusiasm  and 
seventeen  adjectives,  followed  by  a  verse  of 
poor  poetry ;  Geoff  will  do  the  sportive  or  in 
structive,  just  as  he  happens  to  feel ;  and  Phil 
will  wind  up  the  letter  by  some  practical  de 
tails  which  will  serve  as  a  key  to  all  the  rest. 
Won't  it  be  a  box  of  literary  bonbons  for  her 
to  read  in  bed,  poor  darling !  Let  me  see ! 
I  represent  the  cayenne  lozenges,  sharp  but 
impressive ;  Margery  will  do  for  jujube  paste, 
which  I  adore,  —  mild,  pleasant,  yielding,  deli 


cious." 


"  Sticky  and  insipid !  "  murmured  Madge, 
plaintively. 

"  Not  at  all,  my  dear.  Bell  stands  for  the 
peppermints ;  Jack  for  chocolates,  '  the  ladies' 
delight ; '  Geoffrey  for  a  wine-drop,  altogether 
good,  but  sweetest  in  its  heart ;  Phil  —  let  me 
see  !  Phil  is  like  —  what  is  he  like  ?  " 

"No  more  like  candy  than  a  cold  boiled 
potato,"  said  his  sister. 

" He  is  candid"  suggested  Bell.     "  Let  us 


LIFE  IN  THE   CAffON.  77 

call  him  rock-candy,  pure,  healthful,  and  far 
from  soft." 

"  Or  marshmallow,"  said  Margery,  "  good, 
but  tough." 

"  Or  caramel,"  laughed  Polly ;  "  it  always 
sticks  to  a  point." 

"Thanks,  gentle  creatures,"  said  a  voice 
from  the  bushes  on  the  other  side  of  the  pool, 
and  Phil  stalked  out  from  his  covert,  like  a 
wounded  deer. 

"  How  long  have  you  been  in  there,  villain  ?  " 
cried  Bell. 

"  Ever  since  lunch ;  but  I  only  waked  from 
a  sound  sleep  some  twenty  minutes  ago.  I  've 
heard  a  most  instructive  conversation  —  never 
been  more  amused  in  my  life ;  don't  know 
whether  I  prefer  being  a  cold  boiled  potato  or 
a  ladies'-delight ! " 

"  You  have  n't  any  choice,"  snapped  Polly, 
a  trifle  embarrassed  at  having  been  overheard. 

66 1  'm  glad  it  was  my  own  sister  who  called 
me  a  c.  b.  p.  (the  most  loathsome  thing  in 
existence,  by  the  way),  because  sisters  never 
appreciate  their  brothers." 

"  I  did  n't  call  you  a  c.  b.  p.,"  remonstrated 
Margery.  "  I  said  you  were  no  more  like 
candy  than  a  c.  b.  p.  There  is  a  difference." 

"  Is  there  ?  My  poor  brain  fails  to  grasp  it. 
But  never  mind ;  I  '11  forgive  you." 


78  LIFE  IN  THE   CANON. 

"  Listeners  never  hear  good  of  themselves/' 
sighed  Polly. 

"  Are  you  writing  a  copy-book,  Miss  Oliver  ? 
I  did  n't  want  to  listen ;  it  was  very  painful  to 
my  feelings,  but  I  was  too  sleepy  to  move." 

"  And  now  our  afternoon  is  gone,  and  we 
have  not  read  a  word/'  sighed  little  Margery. 
"  I  never  met  two  such  chatterboxes  as  you  and 
Polly." 

"  And  to  hear  us  talk  is  a  liberal  education/' 
retorted  Polly. 

"  Exactly/'  said  Philip,  dryly.  "  Come,  I  '11 
take  the  books  and  shawls.  It 's  nearly  five 
o'clock,  and  we  shall  hear  Hop  Yet  blowing 
his  lusty  dinner-horn  presently." 

"  Why  did  n't  you  go  off  shooting  with  the 
others  ?  "  asked  Margery. 

"  Stayed  at  home  so  they  'd  get  a  chance  to 
shoot." 

"  Why,  do  you  mean  you  always  scare  the 
game  away  ?  "  inquired  Polly,  artlessly. 

"  No  ;  I  mean  that  I  always  do  all  the  shoot 
ing,  and  the  others  get  discouraged." 

"  Clasp  hands  over  the  bloody  chasm,"  said 
Bell,  "  and  let  us  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  at 
dinner." 

Philip  and  Bell  came  through  the  trees,  and, 
as  they  neared  the  camp,  saw  aunt  Truth  sit- 


LIFE  IN  THE   CAftON.  79 

ting  at  the  door  of  Tent  Chatter,  looking  the 
very  picture  of  comfort,  as  she  drew  her  darn 
ing-needle  in  and  out  of  an  unseemly  rent  in 
one  of  Dicky's  stockings.  Margery  and  Polly 
came  up  just  behind,  and  dropped  into  her  lap 
some  beautiful  branches  of  wild  azalea. 

"  Did  you  have  a  pleasant  walk,  dears  ?  "  she 
asked. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  dear  auntie.  Now,  just  hold 
your  head  perfectly  still,  while  we  decorate 
you  for  dinner.  We  will  make  uncle  Doc's 
eyes  fairly  pop  with  admiration.  Have  you 
been  lonely  without  us  ?  " 

"  Oh,  not  a  bit.  You  see  there  has  been  a 
good  deal  of  noise  about  here,  and  I  felt  as  if 
I  were  not  alone.  Hop  Yet  has  been  pounding 
soap-root  in  the  kitchen,  and  I  hear  the  sound 
of  Pancho's  axe  in  the  distance,  —  the  Doctor 
asked  him  to  chop  wood  for  the  camp-fire. 
Was  Dicky  any  trouble  ?  Where  is  he  ?  " 

"Why,  darling  mother,  are  you  crazy?" 
asked  Bell.  "  If  you  think  a  moment,  he  was 
in  the  hammock  and  you  were  lying  down  in 
the  tent  when  we  started." 

"  Why,  I  certainly  thought  I  heard  him  ask 
to  go  with  you,"  said  Mrs.  Winship,  in  rather 
an  alarmed  tone. 

"  So  he  did ;  but  I  told  him  it  was  too  far." 


80  LIFE  IN  THE 

"  I  did  n't  hear  that ;  in  fact,  I  was  half 
asleep ;  I  was  not  feeling  well.  Ask  Hop  Yet ; 
he  has  been  in  the  kitchen  all  the  afternoon." 

Hop  Yet  replied,  with  discouraging  tran 
quillity,  "  Oh,  I  no  know.  I  no  sabe  Dicky ; 
he  allee  time  lun  loun  camp ;  I  no  look ;  too 
muchee  work.  I  chop  hash  —  Dicky  come  in 
kitch'  —  make  heap  work  —  no  good.  I  tell 
him  go  long  —  he  go  ;  bime-by  you  catchum ; 
you  see."  Whereupon  he  gracefully  skinned 
an  onion,  and  burst  into  a  Chinese  song,  with 
complete  indifference  as  to  whether  Dicky  lived 
or  died. 

"  Perhaps  he  is  with  Pancho  ;  I  '11  run  and 
see ! "  cried  Polly,  dashing  swiftly  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  sky-parlor.  But  after  a  few  minutes 
she  ran  back,  with  a  serious  face.  "  He  's  not 
there  ;  Pancho  has  not  seen  him  since  lunch." 

"  Well,  I  Ve  just  happened  to  think,"  said 
pale  aunt  Truth,  "  that  papa  came  into  the  tent 
for  some  cartridges,  after  you  left,  and  of 
course  he  took  Dick  with  him.  I  don't  sup 
pose  it  is  any  use  to  worry.  He  always  does 
come  out  right ;  and  I  have  told  him  so  many 
times  never  on  any  account  to  go  away  from 
the  camp  alone  that  he  surely  would  not  do  it. 
Papa  and  the  boys  will  be  home  soon,  now.  It 
is  nearly  six  o'clock,  and  I  told  them  that  I 


LIFE  IN  THE  CANON.  81 

would  blow  the  horn  at  six,  as  usual.  If  they 
are  too  far  away  to  hear  it,  they  will  know  the 
time  by  the  sun." 

"  Well/'  said  Bell,  anxiously,  "  I  hope  it  is 
all  right.  Papa  is  so  strict  that  he  won't  be 
late  himself.  Did  all  the  boys  go  with  him, 
mamma  ?  " 

"Yes,  all  but  Philip." 

"  Oh,  then  Dicky  must  be  with  them,"  said 
Margery,  consolingly.  "  Geoffrey  always  takes 
him  wherever  he  can." 

So  the  girls  went  into  the  tent  to  begin 
their  dinner  toilet,  which  consisted  in  carefully 
brushing  burrs  and  dust  from  their  pretty 
dresses,  and  donning  fresh  collars  and  stock 
ings,  with  low  ties  of  russet  leather,  which 
Polly  declared  belonged  only  to  the  stage 
conception  of  a  camping  costume  ;  then,  with 
smoothly  brushed  hair  and  bright  flower-knots 
at  collar  and  belt,  they  looked  charming  enough 
to  grace  any  drawing-room  in  the  land. 

The  horn  was  blown  again  at  six  o'clock, 
aunt  Truth  standing  at  the  entrance  of  the 
path  which  led  up  the  canon,  shading  her  anx 
ious  eyes  from  the  light  of  the  setting  sun. 

"  Here  they  come  !  "  she  cried,  joyously,  as 
the  welcome  party  appeared  in  sight,  guns  over 
shoulder,  full  game-bags,  and  Jack  and  Geoff 


82  LIFE  IN  THE 

with  a  few  rabbits  and  quail  hanging  over  their 
arms. 

The  girls  rushed  out  of  the  tent.  Bell  took 
in  the  whole  group  with  one  swift  glance,  and 
then  turned  to  her  mother,  who,  like  most 
mothers,  believed  the  worst  at  once,  and  grew 
paler  as  she  asked,  — 

"  Papa,  where  is  little  Dick  ?  " 

"  Dick !  Why,  my  dear,  he  has  not  been 
out  with  us.  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"Are  you  sure  you  didn't  take  him?"  fal 
tered  aunt  Truth. 

"  Of  course  I  am.  Good  heavens !  Does  n't 
any  one  know  where  the  child  is  ?  "  looking  at 
the  frightened  group. 

"  You  know,  uncle,"  said  Geoffrey,  "  we 
started  out  at  three  o'clock.  I  noticed  Dicky 
playing  with  his  blocks  in  our  tent,  and  said 
good-by  to  him.  Did  you  see  him  when  you 
came  back  for  the  cartridges  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  did ;  he  called  me  to  look  at 
his  dog  making  believe  go  to  sleep  in  the  ham 
mock." 

"  We  girls  went  down  to  the  pool  soon  after 
that/'  said  Bell,  tearfully.  "He  asked  to  go 
with  us,  and  I  told  him  it  was  too  far,  and  that 
he  'd  better  stay  with  mamma,  who  would  be 
all  alone.  He  said  Yes  so  sweetly  I  could  n't 


LIFE  IN  THE  CANON.  83 

mistrust  him.  Oh,  was  it  my  fault,  papa? 
Please  don't  say  it  was  !  "  and  she  burst  into 
a  passion  of  sobs. 

"  No,  no,  my  child,  of  course  it  was  not. 
Don't  cry ;  we  shall  find  him.  Go  and  look 
about  the  camp,  Geoff,  while  we  consider  for  a 
minute  what  to  do." 

"  If  there  is  any  fault,  it  is  mine,  for  going 
to  sleep,"  said  poor  aunt  Truth  ;  "  but  I  never 
dreamed  he  would  dare  to  wander  off  alone, 
my  poor  little  disobedient  darling  !  What  shall 
we  do  ?  " 

"  Have   you  spoken   to   Pancho  and   Hop 
Yet  ?  "  asked  Phil. 

66  Yes  ;  they  have  seen  nothing." 

Hop  Yet  just  at  this  moment  issued  from 
his  kitchen  with  an  immense  platter  of  mutton- 
stew  and  dumplings,  which  he  deposited  on  the 
table.  On  being  questioned  again,  he  answered 
as  before,  with  the  greatest  serenity,  intimating 
that  Dicky  would  come  home  "  heap  bime-by  " 
when  he  got  "  plenty  hungly."  He  seemed  to 
think  a  lost  boy  or  two  in  a  family  rather  a 
trifle  than  otherwise,  and  wound  up  his  unfeel 
ing  remarks  with  the  practical  one,  "Dinner 
all  leady ;  you  no  eat  mutton,  he  get  cold  ! 
Misser  Wins',  I  no  find  pickle ;  you  catchum !  " 

"  I  don't  believe  he  would  care  if  we  all  died 


84  LIFE  IN  THE   CAR  ON. 

right  before  his  eyes/'  muttered  Polly,  angrily. 
"  I  should  just  like  to  see  a  Chinaman's  heart 
once,  and  find  out  whether  it  was  made  of 
resin,  or  cuttle-fish,  or  what." 

"Well,"  said  Phil,  as  Dr.  Winship  came 
through  the  trees  from  the  card-room,  "  we 
must  start  out  this  instant,  and  of  course  we 
can  find  him  somehow,  somewhere  ;  he  has  n't 
been  gone  over  two  hours,  and  he  could  n't 
walk  far,  that 's  certain.  Now,  uncle  Doc,  shall 
we  all  go  different  ways,  and  leave  the  girls 
here  to  see  if  he  does  n't  turn  up  ?  " 

"  Oh,  papa,"  cried  Bell,  "  do  not  leave  us 
at  home  !  We  can  hunt  as  well  as  any  one ;  we 
know  every  foot  of  the  canon.  Let  me  go  with 
Geoff,  and  we  '11  follow  the  brook  trail." 

"  Very  well.  Now,  mamma,  Pancho  and  I 
will  go  down  to  the  main  road,  and  you  wait 
patiently  here.  Make  all  the  noise  you  can, 
children ;  and  the  one  who  finds  him  must 
come  back  to  the  camp  and  blow  the  horn. 
Hop  Yet,  we  go  now ;  if  Dicky  comes  back, 
you  blow  the  horn  yourself,  will  you  ?  " 

"  All  light,  boss.  You  eat  um  dinner  now ; 
then  go  bime-by ;  mutton  heap  cold ;  you  " 

"  Dinner  !  "  shouted  Jack.  "  Confound  your 
impudence !  if  you  say  dinner  again,  I  '11  cut 
the  queue  off  your  stupid  head." 


LIFE  IN  THE   CANON.  85 

"  Good  !  "  murmured  Polly,  giving  a  savage 
punch  to  her  blue  Tarn  O'Shanter  cap. 

"  Jack,  Jack  !  "  remonstrated  aunt  Truth. 

"  I  know,  dear  auntie ;  but  the  callous  old 
heathen  makes  me  so  mad  I  can't  contain  my 
self.  Come,  Margery,  let 's  be  off.  Get  your 
shawl ;  and  hurrah  for  the  one  who  comes 
back  to  blow  the  horn  first !  I  '11  wager  you 
ten  to  one  I  '11  have  Dick  in  auntie's  lap 
inside  the  hour !  "  —  at  which  aunt  Truth's 
eyes  brightened,  and  she  began  to  take  heart 
again.  But  as  he  tore  past  the  brush  kitchen 
and  out  into  the  woods,  dragging  Madge  after 
him  at  a  breathless  pace,  he  shut  his  lips  to 
gether  rather  grimly,  saying,  "  I  'd  give  five 
hundred  dollars  (s'posin'  I  had  a  cent)  to  see 
that  youngster  safe  again." 

"  Tell  me  one  thing,  Jack,"  said  Margery, 
her  teeth  chattering  with  nervousness  :  "  are 
there  any  animals  in  this  canon  that  would 
attack  him?" 

"  Oh,  of  course  it  is  possible  that  a  California 
lion  or  a  wild-cat  might  come  down  to  the 
brook  to  drink,  —  they  have  been  killed  here 
abouts,  —  but  I  hardly  believe  it  is  likely ;  and 
neither  do  I  believe  they  would  be  apt  to  hurt 
him,  any  way,  for  he  would  never  attack  them, 
you  know.  What  I  am  afraid  of  is  that  he 


86  LIFE  IN  THE  CA&ON. 

has  tumbled  over  the  rocks  somewhere  in  climb 
ing,  or  tangled  himself  up  in  the  chaparral. 
He  could  n't  have  made  off  with  a  pistol,  could 
he  ?  He  is  up  to  all  such  tricks." 

Presently  the  canon  began  to  echo  with 
strange  sounds,  which  I  have  no  doubt  sent 
the  owls,  birds,  and  rabbits  into  fits  of  terror ; 
for  the  boys  had  whistles  and  pistols,  while 
Polly  had  taken  a  tin  pan  and  a  hammer.  She 
had  gone  with  Phil  out  behind  the  thicket  of 
manzanita  bushes,  and  they  both  stood  motion 
less,  undecided  where  to  go. 

"  Oh,  Phil,  I  can't  help  it ;  I  must  cry,  I  am 
so  frightened.  Let  me  sit  down  a  second.  Yes, 
I  know  it 's  an  ant-hill,  and  I  should  n't  care  if 
it  were  a  hornet's  nest,  —  I  deserve  to  be  stung. 
What  do  you  think  I  said  to  Margery  this 
morning  ?  That  Dicky  was  a  perfect  little 
marplot,  and  spoiled  all  our  fun,  and  I  wished 
he  were  in  the  bottom  of  the  Eed  Sea ;  and 
then  I  called  him  a  k-k-k-ill-joy ! "  and  Polly 
buried  her  head  in  her  blue  Tarn,  and  cried 
a  good,  honest,  old-fashioned  cry. 

"  There,  chirk  up,  poor  little  soul,  and  don't 
you  fret  over  a  careless  speech,  that  meant 
nothing  at  all.  I  've  wished  him  in  the  Red 
Sea  more  than  once,  but  I  'm  blessed  if  I  ever 
do  it  again.  Come,  let 's  go  over  yonder,  where 


LIFE  IN  THE  CANON.  87 

we  caught  the  young  owl ;  Dicky  may  have 
wanted  to  try  that  little  game  again." 

So  they  went  on,  calling,  listening,  then 
struggling  on  again,  more  anxious  every  mo 
ment,  but  not  so  thoroughly  dazed  as  Bell, 
who  had  rocked  her  baby-brother  in  his  cradle, 
and  to  whom  he  was  the  embodiment  of  every 
earthly  grace,  if  not  of  every  heavenly  virtue. 

"  I  might  have  known  this  would  happen," 
she  said,  miserably.  "  He  is  so  careless  that,  if 
we  ever  find  him  again,  we  must  keep  him  tied 
to  something." 

"  Take  care  of  your  steps,  dear,"  said  Geoff, 
"  and  munch  this  cracker,  or  you  won't  have 
strength  enough  to  go  on  with  me.  I  wish  it 
were  not  getting  so  dark ;  the  moment  the  sun 
gets  behind  these  mountain-tops  the  light  seems 
to  vanish  in  an  instant.  Dick-y  !  " 

"  Think  of  the  poor  darling  out  in  this  dark 
ness,  —  hungry,  frightened,  and  alone,"  sighed 
Bell.  "  It 's  past  his  bed-time  now.  Oh,  why 
did  we  ever  come  to  stay  in  this  horrible  place  !  " 

"  You  must  not  blame  the  place,  dear ;  we 
thought  it  the  happiest  in  the  world  this  morn 
ing.  Here  we  are  by  the  upper  pool,  and  the 
path  stops.  Which  way  had  we  better  go  ?  " 

"  I  've  been  here  before,  to-day,"  said  Bell ; 
"  we  might  follow  the  trail  I  made.  But  where 
is  my  string  ?  Light  a  match,  Geoff,  please." 


88  LIFE  IN  THE  CANON. 

"  What  string  ?     What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  found  a  beautiful  spot  this  morn 
ing,  and,  fearing  I  should  n't  remember  the 
way  again,  I  took  out  my  ball  of  twine  and 
dropped  a  white  line  all  the  way  back,  like 
Ariadne ;  but  I  don't  see  it.  Where  can  it 
have  disappeared,  —  unless  Jack  or  Phil  took 
it  to  tease  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no  ;  I  've  been  with  them  all  day.  Per 
haps  a  snake  has  swallowed  it.  Come." 

But  a  bright  idea  had  popped  into  Bell's 
head.  "  I  want  to  go  that  way,  Geoff,  dear ; 
it 's  as  good  as  any  other,  and  there  are  flowers 
just  the  other  side,  in  an  open,  sunny  place ; 
perhaps  he  found  them." 

"  AU  right ;  let 's  go  ahead." 

"  The  trouble  is,  I  don't  know  which  way  to 
go.  Here  is  the  rock ;  I  remember  it  was  a 
spotted  one,  with  tall  ferns  growing  beside  it. 
Now  I  went  —  let  me  see  —  this  way,"  and 
they  both  plunged  into  the  thick  brush. 

"  Bell,  Bell,  this  is  utter  nonsense ! "  cried 
Geoff.  "  No  child  could  crawl  through  this 
tangle." 

"  Dicky  could  crawl  through  anything  in 
this  universe,  if  it  was  the  wrong  thing;  he 
is  n't  afraid  of  beast,  bird,  or  fish,  and  he 
positively  enjoys  getting  scratched,"  said  Bell. 


LIFE  IN   THE  CA$TON.  89 

Meanwhile,  what  had  become  of  this  small 
hero,  and  what  was  he  doing  ?  He  was  last  seen 
in  the  hammock,  playing  with  the  long-suffering 
terrier,  Lubin,  who  was  making  believe  go  to 
sleep.  It  proved  to  be  entirely  a  make-believe  ; 
for  at  the  first  loosening  of  Dicky's  stran 
gling  hold  upon  his  throat  he  tumbled  out 
of  the  hammock  and  darted  into  the  woods. 
Dicky  followed,  but  Lubin  was  fleet  of  foot, 
and  it  was  a  desperate  and  exciting  race  for 
full  ten  minutes. 

At  length,  as  Lubin  heard  his  little  master's 
gleeful  laugh,  he  realized  that  his  anger  was 
a  thing  of  the  past ;  consequently,  he  wheeled 
about  and  ran  into  Dicky's  outstretched  arms, 
licking  his  face  and  hands  exuberantly  in  the 
joy  of  complete  forgiveness. 

.By  this  time  the  voice  of  conscience  in 
Dicky's  soul  —  and  it  was  a  very,  very  still, 
small  one  on  all  occasions  —  was  entirely  si 
lenced.  He  strayed  into  a  sunny  spot,  and 
picked  flowers  enough  to  trim  his  little  sailor 
hat,  probably  divining  that  this  was  what  lost 
children  in  Sunday-school  books  always  did, 
and  it  would  be  dishonorable  not  to  keep  up 
the  superstition.  Then  he  built  a  fine,  strong 
dam  of  stones  across  the  brook,  wading  to  and 
fro  without  the  bother  of  taking  off  his  shoes 


90  LIFE  IN   THE   CANON. 

and  stockings,  and  filled  his  hat  with  rocks  and 
sunk  it  to  the  bottom  for  a  wharf,  keeping  his 
hat-band  to  tie  an  unhappy  frog  to  a  bit  of 
bark,  and  setting  him  afloat  as  the  captain  of 
a  slave-ship.  When,  at  length,  the  struggling 
creature  freed  himself  from  his  bonds  and 
leaped  into  the  pool,  Dicky  played  that  he  was 
a  drowning  child,  and  threw  Lubin  into  the 
water  to  rescue  him. 

In  these  merry  antics  the  hours  flew  by  un 
noticed  ;  he  had  never  been  happier  in  his  life, 
and  it  flashed  through  his  mind  that  if  he  were 
left  entirely  to  himself  he  should  always  be 
good. 

"  Here  I  've  been  a  whole  day  offul  good  by 
my  lone  self ;  have  n't  said  one  notty  word  or 
did  one  notty  fing,  nor  gotted  scolded  a  singul 
wunst,  did  I,  Lubin  ?  I  guess  we  better  live 
here  ;  bettent  we,  Lubin  ?  And  ven  we  wunt 
git  stuck  inter  bed  fur  wettin'  our  f eets  little 
teenty  mites  of  wet  evry  singul  night  all  the 
livelong  days,  will  we,  Lubin  ?  " 

But  this  was  a  long  period  of  reflection  for 
Master  Dicky,  and  he  capered  on,  farther  and 
farther,  the  water  sozzling  frightfully  in  his  lit 
tle  copper-toed  boots.  At  length  he  sat  down  on 
a  stone  to  rest  himself,  and,  glancing  aimlessly 
about,  his  eyes  fell  on  a  white  string,  which  he 


LIFE  IN  THE  CANTON.  91 

grasped  with  alacrity,  pulling  its  end  from  be 
neath  the  stone  on  which  he  sat. 

66  Luby  Winship,  the  anjulls  gaved  me  this 
string  fur  ter  make  an  offul  splendid  tight  har 
ness  for  you,  little  Luby ;  and  you  can  drag  big 
heavy  stones  ;  won't  that  be  nice  ?  " 

Lubin  looked  doubtful,  and  wagged  his  tail 
dissentingly,  as  much  as  to  say  that  his  ideas  of 
angel  ministrations  were  a  trifle  different. 

But  there  was  no  end  to  the  string !  How 
very,  very  curious  !  Dicky  wound  and  wound 
and  crept  and  crept  along,  until  he  was  thor 
oughly  tired  but  thoroughly  determined  to  see 
it  through ;  and  Lubin,  meanwhile,  had  seized 
the  first  convenient  moment,  after  the  mention 
of  the  harness,  to  retire  to  the  camp. 

At  length,  oh,  joy !  the  tired  and  torn  little 
man,  following  carefully  the  leading  -  string, 
issued  from  the  scratching  bushes  into  a  clean, 
beautiful,  round  place,  with  a  great  restful- 
looking  stump  in  the  centre,  and  round  its 
base  a  small  forest  of  snowy  toadstools.  What 
could  be  a  lovelier  surprise  !  Dicky  clapped 
his  hands  in  glee  as  he  looked  at  them,  and 
thought  of  a  little  verse  of  poetry  which  Bell 
had  taught  him  :  — 

"  Some  fairy  umbrellas  came  up  to-day 
Under  the  elm-tree,  just  over  the  way, 


92  LIFE  IN  THE 

And  as  we  have  had  a  shower  of  rain, 

The  reason  they  came  is  made  very  plain  : 

To-night  is  the  woodland  fairies'  ball, 

And  drops  from  the  elm-tree  might  on  them  fall, 

So  little  umbrellas  wait  for  them  here, 

And  under  their  shelter  they  '11  dance  without  fear. 

Take  care  where  you  step,  nor  crush  them,  I  pray, 

For  fear  you  will  frighten  the  fairies  away." 

"  Oh  ! "  thought  Dicky,  in  a  trance  of  de 
light,  "  now  I  shall  go  to  the  fairies'  ball,  and 
see  'em  dance  under  the  cunning  little  teenty 
umberells ;  and  wunt  they  be  mad  at  home 
when  nobuddy  can't  see  'em  but  just  only  me ! 
And  then  if  that  potry  is  a  big  whopper,  like 
that  there  uvver  one,  —  'laddin-lamp  story  of 
Bell's,  —  I  '11  just  pick  evry  white  toadstool 
for  my  papa's  Sunday  dinner,  and  she  sha'n't 
never  see  a  singul  fairy  dance." 

But  he  waited  very  patiently  for  a  long, 
long  time  that  seemed  like  years,  for  Lubin  had 
disappeared;  and  all  at  once  it  grew  so  dark 
in  this  thickly  wooded  place  that  Dicky's 
courage  oozed  out  in  a  single  moment,  without 
any  previous  warnings  as  to  its  intention.  The 
toadstools  looked  like  the  ghosts  of  little  past- 
and-gone  fairy  umbrellas  in  the  darkness,  and 
not  a  single  fairy  couple  came  to  waltz  under 
their  snowy  canopies,  or  exchange  a  furtive 
kiss  beneath  their  friendly  shadows. 


LIFE  IN  THE  CANON.  93 

Dicky  thought  the  situation  exceedingly 
gloomy,  and,  without  knowing  it,  followed  the 
example  of  many  older  people,  who,  on  being 
deserted  by  man,  experience  their  first  desire 
to  find  favor  with  God.  He  was  not  in  the 
least  degree  a  saintly  child,  but  he  felt  instinc 
tively  that  this  was  the  proper  time  for  prayer ; 
and  not  knowing  anything  appropriate  to  the 
occasion,  he  repeated  over  and  over  again  the 
time-worn  plaint  of  childhood  :  — 

"  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  keep  ; 
If  I  should  die  before  I  wake, 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  take.     Amen." 

Like  older  mortals  of  feeble  faith,  he  looked 
for  an  immediate  and  practical  answer,  in  the 
shape,  perhaps,  of  his  mother,  with  his  little 
night-gown  and  bowl  of  bread  and  milk. 

"  My  sakes  alive  !  "  he  grumbled  between 
his  sobs,  "  they  're  the  meanest  fings  I  ever 
saw.  How  long  do  they  s'pose  I  'm  goin'  to 
wait  for  'em  in  this  dark?  When  the  bears 
have  et  me  up  in  teenty  snips,  then  they  '11  be 
saterfied,  I  guess,  and  wisht  they'd  tookened 
gooder  care  of  me,  —  a  little  speck  of  a  boy, 
lefted  out  in  this  dark,  bear-y  place,  all  by  his 
lone  self.  0-oo-oo-oh  !  "  and  he  wound  up 
with  a  murderous  yell,  which  had  never  failed 
before  to  bring  the  whole  family  to  his  side. 


94  LIFE  IN  THE 

His  former  prayer  seeming  to  be  in  vain,  he 
found  a  soft  place,  brushed  it  as  clean  as  pos 
sible,  and  with  difficulty  bending  his  little  stiff, 
scratched  body  into  a  kneeling  position,  he 
prayed  his  nightly  postscript  to  "  Now  I  lay 
me  :  "  "  God  bless  papa,  'n'  mamma,  V  Bell,  V 
Jack,  'n'  Madge,  'n'  Polly,  'n'  Phil,  'n'  Geoff, 
'n'  Elsie."  Then,  realizing  that  he  was  in  a 
perilous  position,  and  it  behooved  him  to  be  as 
pious  as  possible,  he  added  :  "  And  please  bless 
Pancho,  'n'  Hop  Yet,  'n'  Lubin,  'n'  the  goat,  — 
not  the  wild  goat  up  on  the  hill,  but  my  goat, 
what  got  sick  to  his  stummick  when  I  painted 
him  with  black  letters." 

What  a  dreadful  calamity,  to  be  sure,  if  the 
wrong  goat  had  been  blessed  by  mistake  !  His 
whole  duty  performed,  he  picked  the  toadstools 
for  his  papa's  Sunday  dinner,  and,  leaning  his 
head  against  the  lone  stump,  cried  himself  to 
sleep. 

But  relief  was  near,  though  he  little  sus 
pected  it  as  he  lay  in  the  sound,  dreamless  sleep 
which  comes  only  to  the  truly  good.  There 
was  a  crashing  sound  in  the  still  darkness,  and 
Bell  plunged  through  the  thick  underbrush 
with  a  cry  of  delight. 

"  He  is  here  !  Dear,  dear  Geoff,  he  is  all 
here  !  I  knew  it,  I  knew  it !  Hurrah  !  —  no, 


LIFE  IN   THE  CANON.  95 

I  mean.  Thank  God  ! "  she  said  softly,  as  she 
stooped  down  to  kiss  her  mischievous  little 
brother. 

"  But  what  a  looking  creature  !  "  exclaimed 
Geoff,  as  he  stooped  over  the  recovered  trea 
sure.  "  See,  Bell,  his  curls  are  glistening  with 
pitch,  his  dress  is  torn  into  ribbons,  and  his 
hands  —  ugh,  how  dirty  !  " 

"  Poor  little  darling,  he  is  thoroughly  used 
up,"  whispered  Bell,  wiping  tears  of  joy  from 
her  brown  eyes.  "  Now  I  '11  run  home  like 
lightning,  to  blow  the  horn ;  and  you  carry 
Dicky,  for  he  is  too  sleepy  and  stiff  to  walk ; 
and,  Geoff  "  (here  she  laid  an  embarrassed  hand 
on  his  shoulder),  "  I  'm  afraid  he  '11  be  awfully 
cross,  but  you  '11  not  mind  it,  will  you  ?  He  's 
so  worn  out." 

"Not  I,"  laughed  Geoff,  as  he  dropped  a 
brotherly  kiss  on  Bell's  pale  cheek.  "  But  I  've 
no  idea  of  letting  you  go  alone ;  you  're  tired 
to  death,  and  you  '11  miss  the  path.  I  wish  I 
could  carry  you  both." 

"  Tired  —  afraid  !  "  cried  Bell,  with  a  ring 
ing  laugh,  while  Dicky  woke  with  a  stare,  and 
nestled  on  Geoffrey's  shoulder  as  if  nothing 
had  happened.  "  Why,  now  that  this  weight 
is  lifted  off  my  heart,  I  could  see  a  path  in  an 
untraveled  forest !  Good-by,  you  dear,  dar- 


96  LIFE  IN  THE   CANON. 

ling,  cruel  boy !  I  must  run,  for  every  moment 
is  precious  to  mamma."  And  with  one  stran 
gling  hug,  which  made  Dicky's  ribs  crack,  she 
dashed  off. 

Oh,  how  joyously,  how  sweetly  and  tunefully, 
the  furious  blast  of  the  old  cracked  dinner- 
horn  fell  on  the  anxious  ears  in  that  canon  !  It 
seemed  clearer  and  more  musical  than  a  chime 
of  silver  bells. 

In  a  trice  the  wandering  couples  had  gath 
ered  jubilantly  round  the  camp-fire,  all  embrac 
ing  Bell,  who  was  the  heroine  of  the  hour,  — 
entirely  by  chance,  and  not  through  superior 
vision  or  courage,  as  she  confessed. 

It  was  hardly  fifteen  minutes  when  Geoff 
strode  into  the  ring  with  his  sorry-looking  bur 
den,  which  he  laid  immediately  in  aunt  Truth's 
lap. 

"  Oh,  my  darling !  "  she  cried,  embracing 
him  fondly, "  to  think  you  are  really  not  dead, 
after  all ! " 

"  No,  he  is  about  as  alive  as  any  chap  I  ever 
saw."  And  while  the  happy  parents  caressed 
their  restored  darling,  Geoff  gathered  the  girls 
and  boys  around  the  dinner-table,  and  repeated 
some  of  Dicky's  remarks  on  the  homeward 
trip. 

It  seems  that  he  considered  himself  the  in- 


LIFE  IN  THE   CAffON.  97 

jured  party,  and  with  great  ingenuity  laid  all 
the  blame  of  the  mishap  on  his  elderg. 

"  Nobuddy  takes  care  of  me,  anyhow/'  he 
grumbled.  "  If  my  papa  was  n't  a  mean  fing 
I  'd  orter  to  have  a  black  nurse  with  a  white 
cap  and  apurn,  like  Billy  Thomas,  'n'  then  I 
could  n't  git  losted  so  offul  easy.  An'  you  all 
never  cared  a  cent  about  it,  either,  or  you  'd  a 
founded  me  quicker  'n  this  —  'n'  I  've  been 
hungry  fur  nineteen  hours,  'n'  I  guess  I  've 
been  gone  till  December,  by  the  f eelin',  but  you 
was  too  lazy  to  found  me  'f  I  f reezed  to  def  — 
'n'  there  ain't  but  one  singul  boy  of  me  round 
the  whole  camp,  'n'  't  would  serveded  you  right 
if  I  had  got  losted  forever ;  then  I  bet  you 
would  n't  had  much  fun  Fourth  of  July  'thout 
my  two  bits  'n'  my  fire-crackers !  " 

It  was  an  hour  or  two  before  peace  and  quiet 
were  restored  to  the  camp.  The  long-delayed 
dinner  had  to  be  eaten ;  and  to  Hop  Yet's  calm 
delight,  it  was  a  very  bad  one.  Dicky's  small 
wounds  were  dressed  with  sweet  oil,  and  after 
being  fed  and  bathed  he  was  tucked  lovingly 
into  bed,  with  a  hundred  kisses  or  more  from 
the  whole  party. 

A  little  rest  and  attention  had  entirely  re 
stored  his  good-humor ;  and  when  Dr.  Paul 
went  into  the  tent  to  see  that  all  was  safe  for 


98  LIFE  IN  THE  CANON. 

the  night,  he  found  him  sitting  up  in  bed  with 
a  gleeful  countenance,  prattling  like  a  little 
angel. 

"  We  had  an  offul  funny  time  'bout  my  git- 
tin'  losted,  did  n't  we,  mamma  ?  "  chuckled  he, 
with  his  gurgling  little  laugh.  "  Next  time 
I  'm  goin'  to  get  losted  in  annover  bran'-new 
place  where  no-bud-dy  can  find  me !  I  fink  it 
was  the  nicest  time  'cept  Fourth  of  July,  don't 
you,  mamma  ?  "  And  he  patted  his  mother's 
cheek  and  imprinted  an  oily  kiss  thereon. 

"Truth,"  said  the  Doctor,  with  mild  sever 
ity,  "  I  know  you  don't  believe  in  applying  the 
slipper,  but  I  do  think  we  should  arrange  some 
plan  for  giving  that  child  an  idea  of  the  solem 
nity  of  life.  So  far  as  I  can  judge,  he  looks 
at  it  as  one  prolonged  picnic." 

,"My  sentiments,  exactly!"  cried  Bell,  ener 
getically.  "  I  can't  stand  many  more  of  these 
trying  scenes ;  I  am  worn  to  a  '  shadder.' ' 

Dicky  tucked  his  head  under  his  mother's 
arm,  with  a  sigh  of  relief  that  there  was  one 
person,  at  least,  whose  sentiments  were  always 
favorable  and  always  to  be  relied  upon. 

"  I  love  you  the  best  of  anybuddy,  mamma," 
whispered  he,  and  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

RHYME    AND    REASON. 

A  BUDGET   OF  LETTERS   FROM  THE   CAMP  MAIL-BAG. 

"  The  letter  of  a  friend  is  a  likeness  passing  true." 

OUR  friend  Polly  was  seated  in  a  secluded 
spot  whence  all  but  her  had  fled ;  her 
grave  demeanor,  her  discarded  sun-bonnet,  her 
corrugated  brow,  all  bespoke  more  than  com 
mon  fixedness  of  purpose,  the  cause  of  which 
will  be  discovered  in  what  follows. 


100  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

I.      FROM    -THE     COUNTESS     PAULINA     OLIVERA     TO     HER 
FRIEND   AND   CONFIDANTE,    THE   LADY   ELSIE    HOWARD.* 

Scene :    A    sequestered    nook    in    the    Valley    of  the 
Flowers. 

CAMP  CHAPARRAL,  July  6,  188-. 

The  countess  is  discovered  at  her  ommerlu  * 
writing-table.  A  light  zephyr2  plays  with  her 
golden  locks3  and  caresses  her  Grecian 4  nose,  — 
a  nose  that  carries  on  its  surface  a  few  trifling 
freckles,  which  serve  but  to  call  attention  to  its 
exquisite  purity  of  outline  and  the  height  of 
its  ambition.  Her  eyes  reflect  the  changing 
shadows  of  moonlight,  and  her  mouth  is  one 
fit  for  sweet  sounds ; 5  yet  this  only  gives  you 
a  faint  idea  of  the  beauteous  creature  whose 
fortunes  we  shall  follow  in  our  next  number.6 

I  have  given  that  style  a  fair  trial,  my  dear 
darling,  but  I  cannot  stand  it  another  minute, 
not  being  familiar  with  the  language  of  what 
our  cook  used  to  call  the  "  fuddal  aristocracy  " 
(feudal,  you  know). 

I,  your  faithful  Polly,  am  seated  in  the  card- 
room,  writing  with  a  dreadful  pen  which  Phil 

*  Foot-notes  by  a  rival  of  the  Countess. 

1  Is  that  spelled  right  ?        2  Fifty  miles  an  hour,  Jack  says. 

3  Poetic  license.  4  Gone  back  to  cold  cream. 

5  And  pie.        6  For  sale  at  all  bookstores,  ten  cents  a  copy. 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  101 

gave  me  yesterday.  Its  internal  organs  are 
filled  with  ink,  which  it  disgorges  when  pressed 
to  do  so,  but  just  now  it  is  "  too  full  for  utter 
ance/'  as  you  will  see  by  the  blots. 

We  have  decided  not  to  make  this  a  real 
round-robin  letter,  like  the  last,  because  we 
want  to  write  what  we  like,  and  not  have  it 
read  by  the  person  who  comes  next. 

I  have  been  badgered  to  death  over  my  part 
of  the  communication  sent  to  you  last  week, 
for  the  young  persons  connected  with  this 
camp  have  a  faculty  of  making  mountains  out 
of  mole-hills,  as  you  know,  and  I  have  to  suffer 
for  every  careless  little  speech.  However,  as 
we  did  n't  wish  to  bore  you  with  six  duplicate 
letters,  we  invented  a  plan  for  keeping  off  each 
other's  ground,  and  appointed  Geoff  a  com 
mittee  of  one  to  settle  our  line  of  march.  It  is 
to  be  a  collective  letter,  made  up  of  individual 
notes ;  and  these  are  Geoff's  sealed  orders, 
which  must  be  obeyed,  on  pain  of  dismissal 
from  the  camp:  — 

No.  1  (Polly)  is  to  amuse  ! 

No.  2  (Phil)      «     inform. 

No.  3  (Geoff)    "     edify  ! ! 

No.  4  (Madge) "     gossip. 

No.  5  (Bell)      "     versify. 

No.  6  (Jack)     «     illustrate. 


102  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

So,  my  dear,  if  you  get  any  "  information  " 
or  happen  to  be  "  edified  "  by  what  I  write,  don't 
mention  it  for  worlds !  (I  just  screamed  my 
fears  about  this  matter  to  Jack,  and  he  says  "  I 
need  n't  fret."  I  shall  certainly  slap  that  boy 
before  the  summer  is  over.) 

I  could  just  tell  you  a  lovely  story  about 
Dicky's  getting  lost  in  the  woods  the  day 
before  yesterday,  and  our  terrible  fright  about 
him,  and  how  we  all  joined  in  the  boy-hunt, 
until  Geoff  and  Bell  found  him  at  the  Lone 
Stump  ;  but  I  suppose  the  chronicle  belongs  to 
Phil's  province,  so  I  desist.  But  what  can  I 
say  ?  Suppose  I  tell  you  that  uncle  Doc  and 
the  boys  have  been  shooting  innocent,  tame 
sheep,  skinning  and  cutting  them  up  on  the 
way  home,  and  making  us  believe  for  two  days 
that  we  were  eating  venison  ;  and  we  never 
should  have  discovered  the  imposition,  had  not 
Dicky  dragged  home  four  sheep-skins  from 
the  upper  pool,  and  told  us  that  he  saw  the 
boys  "peeling  them  off  of  a  venison"  Perhaps 
Phil  may  call  this  information,  and  Margery 
will  vow  that  it  is  gossip  and  belongs  to  her  ; 
any  way,  they  consider  it  a  splendid  joke,  and 
chuckle  themselves  to  sleep  over  it  every  night ; 
but  I  think  the  whole  affair  is  perfectly  mad 
dening,  and  it  makes  me  boil  with  rage  to  be 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  103 

taken  in  so  easily.  Such  a  to-do  as  they  make 
over  the  matter  you  never  saw;  you  would 
think  it  was  the  first  successful  joke  since  the 
Deluge.  (That  was  n't  a  dry  joke,  was  it  ? 
Ha,  ha !) 

This  is  the  way  they  twang  on  their  harp  of 
a  thousand  strings.  At  breakfast,  this  morn 
ing,  when  Jack  passed  me  the  corn-bread,  I 
said  innocently,  "  Why,  what  have  we  here  ?  " 
"  It  is  manna  that  fell  in  the  night,"  answered 
Jack,  with  an  exasperating  snicker.  "You 
did  n't  know  mutton,  but  I  thought,  being  a 
Sunday-school  teacher,  you  would  know  some 
thing  about  manna."  (N.  B.  He  alludes  to 
that  time  I  took  the  infant  class  for  Miss  Jones, 
and  they  all  ran  out  to  see  a  military  funeral 
procession.)  "I  wish  you  knew  something 
about  manners,"  snapped  I;  and  then  aunt 
Truth  had  to  warn  us  both,  as  usual.  Oh,  dear ! 
it 's  a  weary  world.  I  'd  just  like  to  get  Jack 
at  a  disadvantage  once  ! 

Wo  climbed  Pico  Negro  ycotcrday.  Boll, 
Geoff,  Phil,  and  I  had  quite 


looin    the  trail.     I  will  tell    ou  about  it.    Juot 


(Goodness  me  !  what  have  I  written  ?  Oh, 
Elsie,  pray  excuse  those  horizontal  evidences 
of  my  forgetfulness  and  disobedience.  I  have 


104  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

bumped  my  head  against  the  table  three  times, 
as  penance,  and  will  now  try  to  turn  my 
thoughts  into  right  channels.  This  letter  is 
a  black-and-white  evidence  that  I  have  not  a 
frivolous  order  of  mind,  and  have  always  been 
misunderstood  from  my  birth  up  to  this  date.) 

We  have  had  beautiful  weather  since  — 
But  no,  of  course  Phil  will  tell  you  about  the 
weather,  for  that  is  scarcely  an  amusing  topic. 
I  do  want  to  be  as  prudent  as  possible,  for 
uncle  Doc  is  going  to  read  all  the  letters  (not, 
of  course,  aloud)  and  see  whether  we  have  ful 
filled  our  specific  obligations. 

(I  just  asked  Bell  whether  "  specific  "  had  a 
"  c  "  or  an  "  s  "  in  the  middle,  and  she  answered 
" '  c/  of  course,"  with  such  an  air,  you  should 
have  heard  her !  I  had  to  remind  her  of  the 
time  she  spelled  "Tophet"  with  an  "f  "  in  the 
middle ;  then  she  subsided.) 

(I  just  read  this  last  paragraph  to  Madge, 
to  see  if  she  called  it  gossip,  as  I  was  going  to 
take  it  out  if  it  belonged  to  her  topic,  but  she 
said  No,  she  did  n't  call  it  gossip  at  all,  —  that 
she  should  call  it  slander !) 

You  don't  know  how  we  all  long  to  see 
you,  dear  darling  that  you  are.  We  live  in 
the  hope  of  having  you  with  us  very  soon,  and 
meanwhile  the  beautiful  bedstead  is  almost  fin- 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  105 

ished,  and  a  perfect  success.  (I  wish  to  with 
draw  the  last  three  quarters  of  that  sentence, 
for  obvious  reasons !  !) 

Dear,  dear  !  Geoffrey  calls  "  Time  up/'  and 
I  've  scarcely  said  anything  I  should.  Never, 
never  again  will  I  submit  to  this  method  of 
correspondence ;  it  is  absolutely  petrifying  to 
one's  genius.  When  I  am  once  forced  to  walk 
in  a  path,  nothing  but  the  whole  out-of-doors 
will  satisfy  me. 

I  'm  very  much  afraid  I  have  n't  amused 
you,  dear, — 

But  when  I  lie  in  the  green  kirk-yard, 

With  the  mould  upon  my  breast, 
Say  not  that  "  she  did  well  or  ill," 

Only,  "  She  did  her  best." 

Now,  do  you  think  that  will  interfere  with 
Bell,  when  it 's  only  a  quotation  ?  Any  way, 
it 's  so  appropriate  that  uncle  Doc  will  never 
have  the  heart  to  strike  it  out.  The  trouble  is 
that  Geoff  thinks  all  the  poetry  in  the  universe 
is  locked  up  in  Bell's  head,  and  if  she  once 
allows  it  to  escape,  Felicia  Hemans  and  the 
rest  will  be  too  discouraged  ever  to  try  again  ! 
(I  can't  remember  whether  F.  H.  is  alive  or  not, 
and  am  afraid  to  ask,  but  you  will  know  that  I 
don't  mean  to  be  disrespectful.) 

Laura,   Anne,  and  Scott  Burton  were  here 


106  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

for  the  play,  and  Laura  is  coming  down  again 
to  spend  the  week.  I  can't  abide  her,  and 
there  will  probably  be  trouble  in  the  camp. 

The  flame  of  my  genius  blazes  high  just 
now,  but  Geoff  has  spoken,  and  it  must  be 
snuffed.  So  good-by  ! 

Sizz-z-z  !  I  and  I  'm  out  ! 

POLLIOLIVER. 

II.    FROM   PHILIP  TO   ELSIE. 

CAMP  CHAPARRAL,  July  8,  188-. 

MY  DEAR  ELSIE,  —  I  believe  I  am  to  in 
form  you  concerning  the  daily  doings  of  our 
party,  not  on  any  account,  however,  permitting 
myself  to  degenerate  into  "  gossip  "  or  "  friv 
olous  amusement." 

They  evidently  consider  me  a  quiet,  stupid 
fellow,  who  will  fulfill  such  a  task  with  no 
special  feeling  of  repression,  and  I  dare  say 
they  are  quite  right. 

They  call  me  the  "  solid  man  "  of  the  camp, 
which  may  not  be  very  high  praise,  to  be  sure, 
as  Geoffrey  carries  his  head  in  the  clouds,  and 
Jack  is  —  well,  Jack  is  Jack  !  So,  as  the  light 
of  a  tallow  dip  is  valuable  in  the  absence  of 
sun  and  moon,  I  am  raised  to  a  fictitious  repu 
tation. 

We  fellows  have  had  very  little  play  so  far, 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  107 

for  the  furnishing  of  the  camp  has  proved  an 
immense  undertaking,  although  we  have  plenty 
of  the  right  sort  of  wood  and  excellent  tools. 

We  think  the  work  will  pay,  however,  as 
Dr.  Paul  has  about  decided  to  stay  until  Octo 
ber,  or  until  the  first  rain.  He  writes  two  or 
three  hours  a  day,  and  thinks  that  he  gets  on 
with  his  book  better  here  than  at  home.  As 
for  the  rest  of  us,  when  we  get  fairly  to  rights 
we  shall  have  regular  study  hours  and  lose  no 
time  in  preparing  for  the  examinations. 

I  suppose  you  know  that  you  have  a  full 
bed-room  set  in  process  of  construction.  I  say 
"  suppose  you  know,"  because  it  is  a  profound 
secret,  and  the  girls  could  never  have  kept  it  to 
themselves  as  long  as  this. 

The  lounging-chair  is  my  allotted  portion, 
and  although  it  is  a  complicated  bit  of  work, 
I  accepted  it  gladly,  feeling  sure  that  you 
would  use  it  oftener  than  any  of  the  other 
pieces  of  furniture.  I  shall  make  it  so  deli- 
ciously  easy  that  you  will  make  me  "  Knight  of 
the  Chair,"  and  perhaps  permit  me  to  play  a 
sort  of  devoted  John  Brown  to  your  Victoria. 
You  will  need  one  dull  and  prosy  squire  to 
arrange  your  pillows,  so  that  you  can  laugh  at 
Jack's  jokes  without  weariness,  and  doze  quietly 
while  Geoff  and  uncle  Doc  are  talking  med 
icine. 


108  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

Of  course  the  most  exciting  event  of  the 
week  was  the  mysterious  disappearance  and 
subsequent  restoration  of  the  Heir  Apparent ; 
but  I  feel  sure  somebody  else  will  describe  the 
event,  because  it  is  uppermost  in  all  our  minds. 

Bell,  for  instance,  would  dress  it  up  in  fine 
style.  She  is  no  historian,  but  in  poetry  and 
fiction  none  of  us  can  touch  her ;  though,  by 
the  way,  Polly's  abilities  in  that  direction  are  a 
good  deal  underrated.  It 's  as  good  as  a  play 
to  get  her  after  Jack  when  he  is  in  one  of  his 
teasing  moods.  They  are  like  flint  and  steel, 
and  if  aunt  Truth  did  n't  separate  them  the 
sparks  would  fly.  With  a  girl  like  Polly,  you 
have  either  to  lie  awake  nights,  thinking  how 
you  '11  get  the  better  of  her,  or  else  put  on  a 
demeanor  of  gentleness  and  patience,  which 
serves  as  a  sort  of  lightning-rod  round  which 
the  fire  of  her  fun  will  play  all  day  and  never 
strike.  Polly  is  a  good  deal  of  a  girl.  She 
seems  at  first  to  have  a  pretty  sharp  tongue, 
but  I  tell  you  she  has  a  heart  in  which  there  is 
swimming-room  for  everybody.  This  may  not 
be  "  information  "  to  you,  whom  we  look  upon 
as  our  clairvoyant,  but  it  would  be  news  to 
most  people. 

Uncle  Doc,  Bell,  Geoff,  Polly,  Meg,  and  I 
started  for  the  top  of  Pico  Negro  the  other 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  109 

morning.  Bell  rode  Villikins,  and  Polly  took 
a  mule,  because  she  thought  the  animal  would 
be  especially  sure-footed.  He  was ;  in  fact,  he 
was  so  sure-footed  that  he  did  n't  care  to  move 
at  all,  and  we  had  to  take  turns  in  beating  him 
up  to  the  top.  We  boys  walked  for  exercise, 
which  we  got  to  our  heart's  content. 

It  is  only  five  or  six  miles  from  the  old 
Mountain  Mill  (a  picture  of  which  Jack  will 
send  you),  and  the  ascent  is  pretty  stiff  climb 
ing,  though  nothing  terrific.  We  lost  the  trail 
once,  and  floundered  about  in  the  chaparral  for 
half  an  hour,  till  Bell  began  to  make  a  poem 
on  the  occasion,  when  we  became  desperate, 
and  dashed  through  a  thicket  of  brush,  tearing 
ourselves  to  bits,  but  stumbling  on  the  trail  at 
last.  The  view  from  the  top  is  simply  superb  ! 
The  valleys  below  are  all  yellow  with  grain- 
fields  and  green  with  vineyards,  with  here  and 
there  the  roofs  of  a  straggling  little  settlement. 
The  depression  in  the  side  of  the  mountain 
(you  will  observe  it  in  the  picture)  Polly  says 
has  evidently  been  "  bitten  out "  by  a  prehistoric 
animal,  and  it  turns  out  to  be  the  loveliest  little 
canon  imaginable. 

We  have  had  one  novel  experience,  —  that 
of  seeing  a  tarantula-fight;  and  not  between 
two,  but  five,  tarantulas.  We  were  about 


110  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

twenty  miles  from  camp,  loping  along  a  stretch 
of  hot,  dusty  road.  Jack  got  off  to  cinch  his 
saddle,  and  so  we  all  stopped  a  moment  to  let 
our  horses  breathe.  As  I  was  looking  about, 
at  nothing  in  particular,  I  noticed  a  black  ball 
in  the  deep  dust  at  the  side  of  the  road.  It 
suddenly  rolled  over  on  itself,  and  I  called  to 
the  boys  to  watch  the  fun.  We  got  off,  hitched 
our  horses,  and  approached  cautiously,  for  I 
had  seen  a  battle  of  the  same  kind  before. 
There  they  were,  —  five  huge,  hairy,  dirty,  black 
creatures,  as  large  as  the  palm  of  Dicky's 
hand,  all  locked  in  deadly  combat.  They 
writhed  and  struggled  and  embraced,  their 
long,  curling  legs  fastening  on  each  other  with 
a  sound  that  was  actually  like  the  cracking  of 
bones.  It  takes  a  little  courage  to  stand  and 
watch  such  a  proceeding,  for  you  feel  as  if 
the  hideous  fellows  might  turn  and  jump  for 
you ;  but  they  were  doubtless  absorbed  in  their 
own  battle,  and  we  wanted  to  see  the  affair  to 
the  end,  so  we  took  the  risk,  if  there  was  any. 
At  last  they  showed  signs  of  weariness,  but  we 
prodded  them  up  with  our  riding-whips,  pre 
ferring  that  they  should  kill  each  other,  rather 
than  do  the  thing  ourselves.  Finally,  four  of 
them  lay  in  the  dust,  doubled  up  and  harm 
less,  slain,  I  suppose,  by  their  own  poison.  One, 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  Ill 

the  conquering  hero,  remained,  and  we  dexter 
ously  scooped  him  into  a  tomato-can  that  Jack 
had  tied  to  his  saddle  for  a  drinking-cup,  cov 
ered  him  up  with  a  handkerchief,  and  drew  lots 
as  to  who  should  carry  him  home  to  Dr.  Paul. 

Knowing  that  the  little  beasts  were  grega 
rious,  we  hunted  about  for  a  nest,  which  we 
might  send  to  you  after  ousting  its  disagreeable 
occupant.  After  much  searching,  we  found  a 
group  of  them,  —  quite  a  tarantula  village,  in 
fact.  Their  wonderful  little  houses  are  closed 
on  the  outside  by  a  circular,  many-webbed  mesh, 
two  or  three  inches  across,  and  this  web  betrays 
the  spider's  den  to  the  person  who  knows  the 
tricks  of  the  trade.  Directly  underneath  it 
you  come  upon  the  tiny  circular  trap-door, 
which  you  will  notice  in  the  nest  we  send  with 
these  letters.  You  will  see  how  wonderfully  it 
is  made,  with  its  silken  weaving  inside,  and  its 
bits  of  bark  and  leaves  outside ;  and  I  know 
you  will  admire  the  hinge,  which  the  tarantula 
must  have  invented,  and  which  is  as  pretty  a 
bit  of  workmanship  as  the  most  accomplished 
mechanic  could  turn  out.  We  tore  away  the 
web  and  the  door  from  one  of  the  nests,  and 
then  poured  water  down  the  hole.  The  spider 
was  at  home,  came  out  as  fast  as  his  clumsy 
legs  would  carry  him,  and  clutched  the  end  of 


112  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

the  stick  Jack  held  out  to  him.  Then  we 
tumbled  him  into  the  tomato-can  just  as  he  ap 
peared  to  be  making  for  us.  The  two  didn't 
agree  at  all.  One  of  them  dispatched  the  other 
on  the  way  home,  —  the  same  hero  who  had 
killed  the  otlier  four ;  but,  on  hearing  his 
bloody  record,  aunt  Truth  refused  to  have  him 
about  the  camp ;  so  we  gave  him  an  alcohol 
bath,  and  you  shall  see  his  lordship  when  you 
come.  As  Dr.  Paul  says  they  have  been  known 
to  clear  fourteen  feet  at  a  jump,  perhaps  you 
will  feel  happier  to  know  that  he  is  in  alcohol, 
though  their  bite  is  not  necessarily  fatal  if  it  is 
rightly  cared  for. 

The  girls  have  been  patronizing  the  land 
scape  by  naming  every  peak,  valley,  grove,  and 
stream  in  the  vicinity ;  and  as  there  is  nobody 
to  object,  the  names  may  hold. 

We  carry  about  with  us  a  collection  of 
strong,  flat  stakes,  which  have  various  names 
painted  on  them  in  neat  black  letters.  Jack 
likes  that  kind  of  work,  and  spends  most  of 
his  time  at  it ;  for  now  that  Dr.  Paul  has 
bought  a  hundred  acres  up  here,  we  are  all 
greatly  interested  in  its  improvement. 

Geoff  has  named  the  mountain  Pico  Negro, 
as  I  told  you,  and  the  little  canon  on  its  side 
is  called  The  Giant's  Yawn.  Then  we  have  — 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  113 

Mirror  Pool, 

The  Lone  Stump, 

Field  of  the  Cloth-of-Gold, 

Cosy  Nook, 

The  Imp's  Wash-Bowl, 

Dunce-Cap  Hill, 

The  Saint's  Rest,  and 

II  Penseroso  Fall  (in  honor  of  Dicky,  who 
was  nearly  drowned  there). 

If  anybody  fails  to  call  these  localities  by 
their  proper  names  he  has  to  pay  a  fine  of  five 
cents,  which  goes  towards  beautifying  the 
place.  Dr.  Paul  has  had  to  pay  two  fines  for 
Bell,  three  for  aunt  Truth,  and  seven  for 
Dicky ;  so  he  considers  it  an  ill-judged  ar 
rangement. 

Our  encampment  is  supposed  to  be  in  the 
Forest  of  Arden,  and  Jack  has  begun  nailing 
verses  of  poetry  on  the  trees,  like  a  second 
Orlando,  save  that  they  are  not  love  poems  at 
all,  but  appropriate  quotations  from  Wordsworth 
or  Bryant.  And  this  brings  me  to  our  thrill 
ing  rendition  of  the  play  "  As  You  Like  It," 
last  evening ;  but  it  is  deserving  of  more  than 
the  passing  notice  which  I  can  give  it  here. 

One  thing,  however,  I  must  tell  you,  as  the 
girls  will  not  write  it  of  themselves,  —  that,  al 
though  Bell  carried  off  first  honors  and  fairly 


114  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

captivated  the  actors  as  well  as  the  audience, 
all  three  of  them  looked  bewitching  and  acted 
with  the  greatest  spirit,  much  better  than  we 
fellows  did. 

Of  course  we  did  n't  give  the  entire  play, 
and  we  had  to  "double  up"  on  some  of  the 
characters  in  the  most  ridiculous  fashion ;  but 
the  Burtons  helped  out  wonderfully,  Scott  play 
ing  Oliver,  and  Laura  doing  Audrey.  They 
were  so  delighted  with  the  camp  that  aunt 
Truth  has  invited  them  to  come  again  on 
Saturday  and  stay  a  week. 

At  the  risk  of  being  called  conceited  I  will 
also  state  that  we  boys  consider  that  the  stage 
management  was  a  triumph  of  inventive  art ; 
we  worked  like  beavers  for  two  days  and  the 
results  were  marvelous,  "  if  I  do  say  so  as 
shouldn't." 

Just  consider  :  we  were  "  six  miles  from  a 
lemon,"  as  Sydney  Smith  would  say,  and  yet 
we  transformed  all  out  of  doors,  first  into  an 
elegant  interior,  and  then  into  a  conventional 
stage  forest. 

A  great  deal  of  work  is  available  for  other 
performances,  and  so  we  do  not  regret  it  a  bit ; 
we  propose  doing  "  As  You  Like  It "  again 
when  you  are  down  here,  and  meanwhile  we 
give  diversified  entertainments  which  Jack  calls 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  115 

variety  shows,  but  which  in  reality  are  very 
chaste  and  elegant  occasions. 

The  other  night  we  had  a  minstrel  show, 
wearing  masks  of  black  cambric,  with  red 
mouths  painted  on  them ;  you  should  have 
seen  us,  all  in  a  dusky  semicircle,  seated  on 
boards  supported  by  nail-kegs  :  it  was  a  scene 
better  imagined  than  described.  This  is  cer 
tainly  the  ideal  way  to  live  in  summer  time,  and 
we  should  be  perfectly  happy  and  content  if 
you  could  only  shake  off  your  troublesome  cough 
and  come  to  share  our  pleasure.  We  feel  in 
complete  without  you ;  and  no  matter  how  large 
our  party  may  grow  as  the  summer  progresses, 
there  will  always  be  a  vacant  niche  that  none 
can  fill  save  the  dear  little  Saint  who  is  always 
enshrined  therein  by  all  her  loyal  worshipers, 
and  by  none  more  reverently  than  her  friend, 

PHILIP  S.  NOBLE. 

III.    THE   KNIGHT   OF  THE   SPECTACLES   TAKES   THE  QUILL. 

This  paper  is  writ  unto  her  most  Royal 
Highness,  our  beloved  Gold  Elsie,  Queen  of 
our  thoughts  and  Empress  of  all  hearts. 

You  must  know,  most  noble  Lady,  that  one 
who  is  your  next  of  kin  and  high  in  the  royal 
favor  has  laid  upon  us  a  most  difficult  and 
embarrassing  task. 


116  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

In  our  capacity  as  Director  of  the  Court 
Games,  we  humbly  suggested  the  subjects  for 
the  weekly  bulletin  which  your  Highness  com 
manded  to  be  written ;  but,  alas,  with  indiffer 
ent  success ;  for  the  Courtiers  growled  and  the 
Ladies-in-waiting  howled  at  the  topics  given 
them  for  consideration. 

On  soliciting  our  own  subjects  from  the 
Privy  Councilor  and  Knight  of  the  Brush, 
Lord  John  Howard,  he  revengefully  ordered 
me  to  "  edify  "  your  Majesty  with  wise  utter 
ances  ;  as  if  such  poor,  rude  words  as  m  i  ne 
could  please  the  ear  that  should  only  listen  to 
the  singing  of  birds,  the  babbling  of  brooks,  or 
the  silvery  tongue  of  genius ! 

When  may  your  devoted  subjects  hope  to 
see  their  gracious  Sovereign  again  in  their 
midst? 

The  court  is  fast  drifting  into  dangerous  in 
formalities  of  conduct.  The  Princess  Bell-Pep 
per  partakes  of  the  odoriferous  onion  at  each 
noonday  meal,  so  that  a  royal  salute  would  be 
impossible ;  the  hands  of  the  Countess  Paulina 
look  as  if  you  might  have  chosen  one  of  your 
attendants  from  "  Afric's  sunny  fountains,  or 
India's  coral  strand ;  "  and  as  for  the  Court 
Chaplain,  Rev.  Jack-in-the-Pulpit,  he  has  wo- 
fully  forsaken  the  manners  of  the  "  cloth  "  and 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  117 

insists  upon  retaining  his  ancient  title  of 
Knight  of  the  Brush ;  the  Duchess  of  Sweet 
Marjoram  alone  continues  circumspect  in  walk 
and  mien,  for  blood  will  tell,  and  she  is  more 
Noble  than  the  others. 

In  our  capacity  of  Court  Physician  we  have 
thrice  relieved  your  youthful  page,  Sir  Dicky 
Winship,  of  indigestion,  caused  by  too  gener 
ous  indulgence  in  the  flowing  bowl  —  of  milk 
and  cherries;  we  have  also  prescribed  for  his 
grace  the  Duke  of  Noble,  whose  ducal  ear  was 
poisoned  by  the  insidious  oak  leaf. 

Your  private  box  awaits  you  in  the  Princess' 
Theatre,  and  your  Majesty's  special  interpreters 
of  the  drama  will  celebrate  your  arrival  as  gor 
geously  as  it  deserves. 

The  health  of  our  dearly  beloved  Sovereign 
engages  the  constant  thought  of  all  her  loyal 
and  adoring  subjects ;  they  hope,  ere  long  to 
cull  a  wreath  of  laurel  with  their  own  hands 
and  place  it  on  a  brow  which  needs  naught  but 
its  golden  crown  of  hair  to  affirm  its  queenly 
dignity.  And  as  for  crown  jewels,  has  not 
our  Empress  of  Hearts  a  full  store  ?  —  two  daz 
zling  sapphires,  her  eyes;  a  string  of  pearls, 
her  teeth ;  her  lips  two  rubies ;  and  when  she 
opens  them,  diamonds  of  wisdom  issue  there 
from! 


118  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

Come  !  and  let  the  sight  of  thy  royal 
charms  gladden  the  eyes  of  thy  waiting  peo 
ple  !  Issued  under  the  hand  of 

SIR  GEOFFREY  STRONG,  Bart., 

Court  Physician  and  Knight  of  the  Spectacles. 

iv.  MARGERY'S  CONTRIBUTION. 

COSY  NOOK,  July  11,  188- 

MY  OWN  DEAR  ELSIE,  —  Your  weekly  chron 
icle  is  almost  ready  for  Monday's  stage,  and  I 
am  allowed  to  come  in  at  the  close  with  as 
many  pages  of  "gossip"  as  I  choose;  which 
means  that  I  may  run  on  to  my  heart's  content 
and  tell  you  all  the  little  things  that  hap 
pen  in  the  chinks  between  the  great  ones,  for 
uncle  Doc  has  refused  to  read  this  part  of  the 
letter. 

First  for  some  commissions :  aunt  Truth  asks 
if  your  mother  will  kindly  select  goods  and 
engage  Mrs.  Perkins  to  make  us  each  a  couple 
of  Scotch  gingham  dresses.  She  has  our  meas 
ures  and  we  wish  them  simple,  full  skirted 
gowns,  like  the  last ;  everybody  thinks  them  so 
pretty  and  becoming.  Bell's  two  must  be  buff 
and  pink,  Polly's  gray  and  green,  and  mine 
blue  and  brown.  We  find  that  we  have  n't 
clothes  enough  for  a  three  months'  stay;  and 
the  out-of-door  life  is  so  hard  upon  our  "  forest 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  119 

suits  "  that  we  have  asked  Mrs.  Perkins  to  send 
us  new  ones  as  soon  as  possible. 

We  have  had  a  very  busy  and  exciting  week 
since  Polly  began  this  letter,  for  there  have 
been  various  interruptions  and  an  unusual 
number  of  visitors. 

First,  there  was  our  mountain  climb  to  the 
top  of  Pico  Negro ;  Phil  says  he  has  written 
you  about  that,  but  I  hardly  believe  he  men 
tioned  that  he  and  the  other  boys  worried  us 
sadly  by  hanging  on  to  the  tails  of  our  horses 
as  they  climbed  up  the  steepest  places.  To  be 
sure  they  were  so  awfully  tired  that  I  could  n't 
help  pitying  them ;  but  uncle  Doc  had  tried  to 
persuade  them  not  to  walk,  so  that  it  was  their 
own  fault  after  all.  You  cannot  imagine  what 
a  dreadful  feeling  it  gives  one,  to  be  climbing 
a  slippery  rocky  path,  and  know  that  a  great 
heavy  boy  is  pulling  your  horse  backwards  by 
the  tail.  Polly  insisted  that  she  heard  her 
mule's  tail  break  loose  from  its  moorings,  and 
on  measuring  it  when  we  got  back  to  camp  she 
found  it  three  inches  longer  than  usual. 

The  mule  acted  like  original  sin  all  day,  and 
Polly  was  so  completely  worn  out  that  she  went 
to  bed  at  five  o'clock ;  Jack  was  a  good  deal 
the  worse  for  wear  too,  so  that  they  got  on 
beautifully  all  day.  It  is  queer  that  they  irri- 


120  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

tate  each  other  so,  for  I  am  sure  that  there  is 
no  lack  of  real  friendship  between  them;  but 
Jack  is  a  confirmed  tease  and  he  seems  to  keep 
all  his  mischief  bottled  up  for  especial  use  with 
Polly.  I  have  tried  to  keep  him  out  of  trou 
ble,  as  you  asked  me  ;  and  although  it  gives  me 
plenty  to  do,  I  am  succeeding  tolerably  well, 
except  in  his  dealings  with  Polly.  I  lecture 
him  continually,  but  "  every  time  he  opens  his 
mouth  he  put  his  foot  in  it." 

Polly  was  under  a  cloud  the  first  of  the 
week.  Villikins  was  sick,  and  Dr.  Winship 
sent  her  to  aunt  Truth  for  a  bottle  of  sweet  oil. 
Aunt  Truth  was  not  in  sight,  so  Polly  went  to 
the  box  of  stores  and  emptied  a  whole  quart 
bottle  of  salad  oil  into  a  pail,  and  Villikins 
had  to  take  it,  wheel  or  whoa  (Jack's  joke  !) 
Auntie  went  to  make  the  salad  dressing  at  din 
ner-time,  and  discovered  her  loss  and  Polly's 
mistake.  It  was  the  last  bottle;  and  as  we 
can't  get  any  more  for  a  week,  the  situation 
was  serious,  and  she  was  very  much  tried.  Poor 
Polly  had  a  good  cry  over  her  carelessness,  and 
came  to  the  dinner-table  in  a  very  sensitive 
frame  of  mind.  Then  what  should  Jack  do 
but  tell  Dicky  to  take  Villikins  a  head  of  let 
tuce  for  his  supper,  and  ask  Polly  why  she 
did  n't  change  his  name  from  Villikins  to 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  121 

Salad-in  !  Polly  burst  into  tears,  and  left  the 
table,  while  Dr.  Paul  gave  Jack  a  scolding, 
which  I  really  think  he  deserved,  though  it  was 
a  good  joke.  The  next  morning,  the  young 
gentleman  put  on  a  pair  of  old  white  cotton 
gloves  and  his  best  hat,  gathered  her  a  bouquet 
of  wild  flowers,  and  made  her  a  handsome  apol 
ogy  before  the  whole  party;  so  she  forgave 
him,  and  they  are  friends  —  until  the  next 
quarrel. 

On  the  night  before  the  play,  Laura  and 
Scott  Burton  arrived  on  horseback,  and  the 
next  morning  the  rest  of  the  family  appeared 
on  the  scene.  We  had  sent  over  to  see  if 
Laura  would  play  Audrey  on  so  short  notice, 
and  bring  over  some  odds  and  ends  for  cos 
tumes.  We  actually  had  an  audience  of  six 
teen  persons,  and  we  had  no  idea  of  playing 
before  anybody  but  aunt  Truth  and  Dicky. 

There  were  three  of  the  Burtons,  Pancho, 
Hop  Yet,  the  people  from  the  dairy  farm,  and 
a  university  professor  from  Berkeley,  with  eight 
students.  They  were  on  a  walking  tour,  and 
were  just  camping  for  the  night  when  Scott 
and  Jack  met  them,  and  invited  them  over  to 
the  performance.  Geoffrey  and  Phil  were  ac 
quainted  with  three  of  them,  and  uncle  Paul 
knew  the  professor. 


122  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

Laura,  Anne,  and  Scott  went  home  the 
next  morning,  but  came  back  in  two  days  for 
their  week's  visit.  The  boys  like  Scott  very 
much ;  he  falls  right  into  the  camp  ways,  and 
does  n't  disturb  the  even  current  of  our  life  ; 
and  Anne,  who  is  a  sweet  little  girl  of  twelve, 
has  quite  taken  Dicky  under  her  wing,  much 
to  our  relief. 

With  Laura's  advent,  however,  a  change 
came  over  the  spirit  of  our  dreams,  and,  to  tell 
the  truth,  we  are  not  over  and  above  pleased 
with  it.  By  the  way,  she  spent  last  summer  at 
the  hotel,  and  you  must  have  seen  her,  did 
you  not?  Anyway,  Mrs.  Burton  and  aunt 
Truth  were  old  school  friends,  and  Bell  has 
known  Laura  for  two  years,  but  they  will  never 
follow  in  their  mothers'  footsteps.  Laura  is  so 
different  from  her  mother  that  I  should  never 
think  they  were  relations ;  and  she  has  managed 
to  change  all  our  arrangements  in  some  mys 
terious  way  which  we  can't  understand.  I  get 
on  very  well  with  her ;  she  positively  showers 
favors  upon  me,  and  I  more  than  half  suspect 
it  is  because  she  thinks  I  don't  amount  to  much. 
As  for  the  others,  she  rubs  Polly  the  wrong 
way,  and  I  believe  she  is  a  little  bit  jealous  of 
Bell. 

You  see,  she  is  several  months  older  than 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  123 

the  rest  of  us,  and  has  spent  two  winters  in  San 
Francisco,  where  she  went  out  a  great  deal  to 
parties  and  theatres,  so  that  her  ideas  are  en 
tirely  different  from  ours. 

She  wants  every  single  bit  of  attention,  — 
one  boy  to  help  her  over  the  brooks,  one  to  cut 
walking-sticks  for  her,  another  to  peel  her 
oranges,  and  another  to  read  Spanish  with  her, 
and  so  on.  Now,  you  know  very  well  that  she 
will  never  get  all  this  so  long  as  Bell  Winship 
is  in  camp,  for  the  boys  think  that  Bell  drags 
up  the  sun  when  she  's  ready  for  him  in  the 
morning,  and  pushes  him  down  at  night  when 
she  happens  to  feel  sleepy. 

We,  who  have  known  Bell  always,  cannot 
realize  that  any  one  can  help  loving  her,  but 
there  is  something  in  Laura  which  makes  it  im 
possible  for  her  to  see  the  right  side  of  people. 
She  told  me  this  morning  that  she  thought  Bell 
had  grown  so  vain  and  airy  and  self-conscious 
that  it  was  painful  to  see  her.  I  could  not 
help  being  hurt ;  for  you  know  what  Bell  is,  — 
brimful  of  nonsense  and  sparkle  and  bright 
speeches,  but  just  as  open  as  the  day  and  as 
warm  as  the  sunshine.  If  she  could  have  been 
spoiled,  we  should  have  turned  her  head  long 
ago ;  but  she  has  n't  a  bit  of  silly  vanity,  and  I 
never  met  any  one  before  who  did  n't  see  the 


124  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

pretty  charm  of  her  brightness  and  goodness, 
did  you  ? 

And  yet,  somehow,  Laura  sticks  needles 
into  her  every  tune  she  speaks.  She  feels 
them  too,  but  it  only  makes  her  quiet,  for  she 
is  too  proud  and  sensitive  to  resent  it.  I  can 
see  that  she  is  different  in  her  ways,  as  if  she 
felt  she  was  being  criticised.  Polly  is  quite 
the  reverse.  If  anybody  hurts  her  feelings 
she  makes  creation  scream,  and  I  admire  her 
courage. 

Aunt  Truth  does  n't  know  anything  about 
all  this,  for  Laura  is  a  different  girl  when  she 
is  with  he'r  or  Dr.  Paul ;  not  that  she  is  deceit 
ful,  but  that  she  is  honestly  anxious  for  their 
good  opinion.  You  remember  aunt  Truth's 
hobby  that  we  should  never  defend  ourselves 
by  attacking  any  one  else,  and  none  of  us  would 
ever  complain,  if  we  were  hung,  drawn,  and 
quartered. 

Laura  was  miffed  at  having  to  play  Audrey, 
but  we  did  n't  know  that  she  could  come  until 
the  last  moment,  and  we  were  going  to  leave 
that  part  out. 

"  I  don't  believe  you  appreciate  my  gener 
osity  in  taking  this  thankless  part,"  she  said 
to  Bell,  when  we  were  rehearsing.  "  Nobody 
would  ever  catch  you  playing  second  fiddle, 


RHYME    AND  REASON.  125 

my  dear.     All  leading  parts  reserved  for  Miss 
Win  ship,  by  order  of  the  authors,  I  suppose." 

"  Indeed,  Laura/'  Bell  said,  "  if  we  had 
known  you  were  coming  we  would  have  offered 
you  the  best  part,  but  I  only  took  Kosalind 
because  I  knew  the  lines,  and  the  girls  insisted." 

"  You  Ve  trained  the  girls  well,  —  has  n't 
she,  Geoffrey,"  asked  Laura,  with  a  queer  kind 
of  laugh. 

But  I  will  leave  the  unpleasant  subject.  I 
should  not  have  spoken  of  it  at  all  except  that 
she  has  made  me  so  uncomfortable  to-day  that 
it  is  fresh  in  my  mind.  Bell  and  Polly  and  I 
have  talked  the  matter  all  over,  and  are  going 
to  try  and  make  her  like  us,  whether  she  wants 
to  or  not.  We  have  agreed  to  be  just  as  polite 
and  generous  as  we  possibly  can,  and  see  if 
she  won't  "  come  round,"  for  she  is  perfectly 
delighted  with  the  camp,  and  wants  to  stay  a 
month. 

Polly  says  she  is  going  to  sing  "Home, 
Sweet  Home "  to  her  every  night,  and  drop 
double  doses  of  the  homoeopathic  cure  for 
home-sickness  into  her  tea,  with  a  view  of 
creating  the  disease. 

Good-by,  and  a  hundred  kisses  from  your 
loving 

MARGERY  DAW. 


126  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

V.      THE   CAMP    POETESS    ADDS    HER    STOKE    OF    MENTAL 
RICHES   TO   THE    GENERAL    FUND. 

MY  DARLING,  —  I  have  a  thousand  things  to 
tell  you,  but  I  cannot  possibly  say  them  in 
rhyme,  merely  because  the  committee  insists 
upon  it.  I  send  you  herewith  all  the  poetry 
which  has  been  written  in  camp  since  last 
Monday,  and  it  has  been  a  very  prosy  week. 

I  have  given  them  to  papa,  and  he  says  that 
the  best  of  my  own,  which  are  all  bad  enough, 
is  the  following  hammock-song. 

I  thought  it  out  while  I  was  swinging  Mar 
gery,  and  here  it  is  !  — 

To  —  fro, 
Dreamily,  slow, 
Under  the  trees  ; 
Swing  —  swing, 
Drowsily  sing 
The  birds  and  the  bees  ; 
Sleep  —  rest, 
Slumber  is  best, 
Wakefulness  sad ; 
Rest  —  sleep, 
Forget  how  to  weep, 
Dream  and  be  glad  ! 

Papa  says  it  is  all  nonsense  to  say  that  slum 
ber  is  best  and  wakef  ulness  sad ;  and  that  it  is 
possible  to  tell  the  truth  in  poetry.  Perhaps  it 
is,  but  why  don't  they  do  it  oftener,  then  ? 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  127 

And  how  was  he  to  know  that  Polly  and  Jack 
had  just  gone  through  a  terrible  battle  of  words 
in  which  I  was  peacemaker,  and  that  Dicky 
had  been  as  naughty  as  —  Nero  —  all  day  ? 
These  two  circumstances  made  me  look  at  the 
world  through  blue  glasses,  and  that  is  always 
the  time  one  longs  to  write  poetry. 

I  send  you  also  Geoff's  verses,  written  to 
mamma,  and  slipped  into  the  box  when  we 
were  playing  Machine  Poetry  :  — 

I  know  a  woman  fair  and  calm, 
Whose  shining  tender  eyes 
Make,  when  I  meet  their  earnest  gaze, 
Sweet  thoughts  within  me  rise. 

And  if  all  silver  were  her  hair, 
Or  faded  were  her  face, 
She  would  not  look  to  me  less  fair, 
Nor  lack  a  single  grace. 

And  if  I  were  a  little  child, 
With  childhood's  timid  trust, 
I  think  my  heart  would  fly  to  her, 
And  love  —  because  it  must ! 

And  if  I  were  an  earnest  man, 

With  empty  heart  and  life, 

I  think  —  (but  I  might  change  my  mind) 

She  'd  be  my  chosen  wife  ! 

Is  n't  that  pretty  ?  Oh,  Elsie  !  I  hope  I 
shall  grow  old  as  beautifully  as  mamma  does, 
so  that  people  can  write  poetry  to  me  if  they 


128  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

feel  like  it !  Here  is  Jack's,  for  Polly's  birth 
day  ;  he  says  he  got  the  idea  from  a  real  poem 
which  is  just  as  silly  as  his :  — 

A  pollywog  from  a  wayside  brook 

Is  a  goodly  gift  for  thee  ; 

But  a  milk-white  steed,  or  a  venison  sheep, 

Will  do  very  well  for  me. 

For  you  a  quivering  asphodel, 
(Two  ducks  and  a  good  fat  hen,) 
For  me  a  withering  hollyhock 
(For  seven  and  three  are  ten  !) 

Rose-red  locks  and  a  pug  for  thee, 
(The  falling  dew  is  chill,) 
A  dove,  a  rope,  and  a  rose  for  me, 
(Oh,  passionate,  pale-blue  pill !) 

For  you  a  greenery,  yallery  gown, 
(Hath  one  tomb  room  for  four  ?) 
Dig  me  a  narrow  gravelet  here, 
(Oh,  red  is  the  stain  of  gore  ! !) 

I  told  Jack  I  thought  it  extremely  unhitched, 
but  he  says  that 's  the  chief  beauty  of  the  imi 
tation. 

.  I  give  you  also  some  verses  intended  for 
Polly's  birthday,  which  we  shall  celebrate,  when 
the  day  arrives,  by  a  grand  dinner. 

You  remember  how  we  tease  her  about  her 
love  for  tea,  which  she  cannot  conceal,  but 
which  she  is  ashamed  of  all  the  same. 

Well !   I  have  printed  the  poem  on  a  card, 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  129 

and  on  the  other  side  Margery  has  drawn  the 
picture  of  a  cross  old  maid,  surrounded  by 
seven  cats,  all  trying  to  get  a  drink  out  of 
her  tea-cup.  Then  Geoff  is  going  to  get  a  live 
cat  from  the  milk  ranch  near  here  and  box  it 
up  for  me  to  give  to  her  when  she  receives  her 
presents  at  the  dinner-table.  Won't  it  be  fun  ? 

OWED  TO  POLLY 

BECAUSE   OF   HER   BIRTHDAY. 

She  camps  among  the  untrodden  ways 

Forninst  the  "  Mountain  Mill ; " 
A  maid  whom  there  are  few  to  praise 

And  few  to  wish  her  ill. 

She  lives  unknown,  and  few  could  know 

What  Pauline  is  to  me  ; 
As  dear  a  joy  as  are  to  her, 

Her  frequent  cups  of  tea. 

A  birthday  this  dear  creature  had, 

Full  many  a  year  ago  ; 
She  says  she  is  but  just  fifteen, 

Of  course  she  ought  to  know. 

But  still  this  gift  I  bring  to  her, 

Appropriate  to  her  age, 
Regardless  of  her  stifled  scorn, 

Or  well  conceal-ed  rage  ! 

She  smiles  upon  these  tender  lines, 

As  you  all  plainly  see, 
But  when  she  meets  me  all  alone, 

How  different  it  will  be  ! 


130  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

Now  comes  Geoff's,  to  be  given  with  a  pretty 
little  inkstand :  — 

There  was  a  young  maiden  whose  thought 
Was  so  airy  it  could  n't  be  caught ; 

So  what  do  you  think  ? 

We  gave  her  some  ink, 
And  captured  her  light- winged  thought. 

Here  is  Jack's  last  on  Polly :  — 

There  's  a  pert  little  poppet  called  Polly, 
Who  frequently  falls  into  folly  ! 

She  's  a  terrible  tongue, 

For  a  "  creetur  "  so  young, 
But  if  she  were  dumb  she  'd  be  jolly  ! 

I  helped  Polly  with  a  reply  and  we  delivered 
it  five  minutes  later :  — 

I  'd  rather  be  deaf,  Master  Jack, 
For  if  only  one  sense  I  must  lack, 

To  be  rid  of  your  voice, 

I  should  always  rejoice, 
Nor  mourn  if  it  never  came  back  ! 

And  now  good  night  and  good-by  until  I 
am  allowed  to  write  you  my  own  particular 
kind  of  letter. 

The  girls  and  boys  are  singing  round  the 
camp  fire,  and  I  must  go  out  and  join  them  in 
one  song  before  we  go  to  bed. 

Yours  with  love,  now  and  always, 

BELL. 
P.  S.  —  Our  "  Happy  Hexagon  "  has  become 


RHYME  AND  REASON.  131 

a  sort  of  "  Obstreperous  Octagon."  Laura  and 
Scott  Burton  are  staying  with  us.  Scott  is  a 
good  deal  of  a  bookworm  and  uses  very  long 
words ;  his  favorite  name  for  me  at  present  is 
Calliope ;  I  thought  it  was  a  sort  of  steam 
whistle,  but  Margery  thinks  it  was  some  one 
who  was  connected  with  poetry.  We  don't 
dare  ask  the  boys ;  will  you  find  out  ? 

VI. 

CAMP  CHAPARRAL,  July  13,  188-. 
STUDIO  RAPHAEL. 

DEAR  LITTLE  Sis,  —  The  inclosed  sketches 
speak  for  themselves,  or  at  least  I  hope  they  do. 
Keep  them  in  your  private  portfolio,  and  when 
I  am  famous  you  can  produce  them  to  show 
the  public  at  what  an  early  age  my  genius 
began  to  sprout. 

At  first  I  thought  I  'd  make  them  real 
"  William  Henry "  pictures,  but  concluded  to 
give  you  a  variety. 

Can't  stop  to  write  another  line ;  and  if 
you  missed  your  regular  letter  this  week  you 
must  not  growl,  for  the  sketches  took  an  awful 
lot  of  time,  and  I  'm  just  rushed  to  death  here 
anyway. 

Love  to  mother  and  father. 

Your  loving  brother,  JACK. 


132  RHYME  AND  REASON. 

P.  S.  —  Polly  says  you  need  not  expect  to 
recognize  that  deer  by  his  portrait,  should  you 
ever  meet  him,  as  no  one  could  expect  to  get  a 
striking  likeness  at  a  distance  of  a  half  mile. 
But,  honestly,  we  have  been  closer  than  that  to 
several  deer. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. —  GOOD  NEWS. 

"  From  the  East  to  western  Ind, 
No  jewel  is  like  Rosalind  ; 
Her  worth,  being  mounted  on  the  wind, 
Through  all  the  world  hears  Rosalind  ; 
All  the  pictures,  fairest  lined, 
Are  but  black  to  Rosalind  ; 
Let  no  face  be  kept  in  mind, 
But  the  fair  of  Rosalind." 

THE  grand  performance  of  "As  You  Like 
It "  must   have  a   more    extended   notice 
than  it  has  yet  received,  inasmuch  as  its  double 
was  never  seen  on  any  stage. 

The  reason  of  this  somewhat  ambitious  selec 
tion  lay  in  the  fact  that  our  young  people  had 
studied  it  in  Dr.  Winship's  Shakespeare  class 
the  preceding  winter,  but  they  were  actually 


134  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

dumb  with  astonishment  when  Bell  proposed 
it  for  the  opening  performance  in  the  new 
theatre. 

"  I  tell  you/'  she  argued,  "  there  are  not 
many  pieces  which  would  be  effective  when 
played  out  of  doors  by  dim  candle-light,  but 
this  will  be  just  as  romantic  and  lovely  as  can 
be.  You  see  it  can  be  played  just  'as  you 
like  it.' " 

Philip  and  aunt  Truth  wanted  a  matinee  per 
formance,  but  the  girls  resisted  this  plan  very 
strongly,  feeling  that  the  garish  light  of  day 
would  be  bad  for  the  makeshift  costumes,  and 
would  be  likely  to  rob  them  of  what  little 
courage  they  possessed. 

"  We  give  the  decoration  of  the  theatre  en 
tirely  into  your  hands,  boys,"  Polly  had  said, 
on  the  day  before  the  performance.  "  You 
have  some  of  the  hardest  work  done  already, 
and  can  just  devote  yourselves  to  the  orna 
mental  part ;  but  don't  expect  any  more  ideas 
from  us,  for  you  will  certainly  be  disappointed." 

"I  should  think  not,  indeed!"  cried  Bell, 
energetically.  "  Here  we  have  the  wall  decora 
tions  for  the  first  scene,  and  all  the  costumes 
besides ;  and  the  trouble  is,  that  three  or  four 
of  them  will  have  to  be  made  to-morrow,  after 
Laura  comes  with  the  trappings  of  war.  I 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  135 

hope  she  will  get  here  for  dinner  to-night ; 
then  we  can  decide  on  our  finery,  and  have  a 
rough  rehearsal." 

"  Well,  girls !  "  shouted  Jack,  from  the  the 
atre,  "  come  and  have  one  consultation,  and 
then  we  '11  let  you  off.  Phil  wants  to  change 
the  location  altogether." 

"  Oh,  nonsense  !  "  cried  Madge,  as  the  three 
girls  ran  towards  the  scene  of  action.  "  It 's 
the  only  suitable  place  within  a  mile  of  the 
camp." 

"  I  think  it  will  be  simply  perfect,  when  you 
have  done  a  little  more  cutting,"  said  Bell. 
"  Just  see  our  advantages  :  First,  we  have  that 
rising  knoll  opposite  the  stage,  which  is  exactly 
the  thing  for  audience-seats ;  then  we  have 
a  semicircular  background  of  trees  and  a  flat 
place  for  the  stage,  which  is  perfectly  invalua 
ble  ;  last  of  all,  just  gaze  upon  that  madrono- 
tree  in  the  centre,  and  the  oak  on  the  left ;  why, 
they  are  worth  a  thousand  dollars  for  scenery." 

"  Especially  in  the  first  scene,  —  ducal  inte 
rior,  or  whatever  it  is,"  said  Phil,  disconsolately. 

"  Jingo !  that  is  a  little  embarrassing," 
groaned  Jack. 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Polly,  briskly.  «  There 
is  plenty  of  room  to  set  the  interior  in  front  of 
those  trees.  It  can  be  all  fixed  beforehand, 


136  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

and  just  whisked  away  for  good  at  the  end  of 
the  first  act." 

"That's  true,"  said  Geoff,  thoughtfully. 
"  But  we  can't  have  any  Adam's  cottage.  We 
talked  it  over  last  night,  and  decided  it 
'  could  n't  be  did.'  " 

"  Did  you,  indeed  !  "  exclaimed  Bell,  sarcas 
tically.  "  Then  allow  me  to  remark  that  you 
three  boys  represent  a  very  obtuse  triangle." 

"  Thanks,  most  acid  Rosalind  !  "  murmured 
Geoff,  meekly.  "  Could  you  deign,  as  spokes 
man  of  the  very  acute  triangle,  to  suggest 
something  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  There  is  the  rear  of  the  brush 
kitchen  in  plain  sight,  to  convey  the  idea  of  a 
rustic  hut.  To  be  sure,  it 's  a  good  distance 
to  the  left,  but  let  the  audience  screw  round  in 
their  seats  when  they  hear  the  voices,  and 
Adam,  Oliver,  and  Orlando  can  walk  out  care 
lessly,  and  go  through  their  scene  right  there." 

"  Admirable  !  "  quoth  Geoff.  "  We  bow  to 
your  superior  judgment." 

"  What  an  inspiration  that  was  to  bring 
those  Chinese  lanterns  for  the  Fourth  of  July ; 
they  have  just  saved  us  from  utter  ruin,"  said 
Margery,  who  was  quietly  making  leaf-trim 
ming. 

"  Yes,  the  effect   is  going  to  be  perfectly 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  137 

gorgeous  !  "  exclaimed  Polly,  clasping  her  hands 
in  anticipation.  "  How  many  have  we  ?  Ten  ? 
Oh,  that 's  splendid  !  and  how  many  candles  ?  " 

"  As  many  as  we  care  to  use/'  Phil  answered, 
from  the  top  of  the  ladder  where  he  was  at 
work.  "  And  look  at  my  arrangement  for 
holding  them  to  these  trees.  Are  n't  they  im 
mense  ?  " 

"  By  the  way/'  said  Bell,  "  don't  forget  the 
mossy  banks  under  those  trees,  for  stage  seats ; 
and  make  me  some  kind  of  a  thing  on  the  left 
side,  to  swoon  on  when  I  sniff  Orlando's  gory 
handkerchief." 

"  A  couple  of  rocks,"  suggested  Jack. 

"  Not  exactly,"  replied  the  critical  Rosalind, 
with  great  dignity.  "  I  am  black  and  blue 
already  from  practicing  my  faint,  and  I  expect 
to  shriek  with  pain  when  I  fall  to-morrow 
night." 

"  St.  Jacob's  oil  relieves  stiffened  joints, 
smoothes  the  wrinkles  from  the  brow  of  care, 
soothes  lacerated  feelings,  and  'ushes  the  'owl 
of  hinfancy,"  remarked  Geoffrey  serenely,  as 
he  prepared  to  build  the  required  mossy  banks. 

"  My  dear  cousin  (there  are  times  when  I  am 
glad  it  is  only  second  cousin),  have  you  a  secret 
contract  to  advertise  a  vulgar  patent  medicine  ? 
or  why  this  eloquence  ?  "  laughed  Bell. 


138  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

"And,  Jack/'  suggested  Polly,  "you  don't 
seem  to  be  doing  anything ;  fix  a  stump  for  me 
to  sit  on  while  Orlando  and  Rosalind  are  mak 
ing  love." 

"  All  right,  countess.  I  'd  like  to  see  you 
stumped  once  in  my  life.  Shall  we  have  the 
canvases  brought  for  stage  carpets  ?  " 

"  We  say  no/'  cried  Rosalind,  firmly.  "  We 
shall  be  a  thousand  times  more  awkward  stum 
bling  over  stiff  billows  of  carpet.  Let 's  sweep 
the  ground  as  clean  and  smooth  as  possible, 
and  let  it  go  for  all  the  scenes." 

"  Yes,  we  shall  then  be  well  grounded  in 
our  parts,"  remarked  Phil,  hiding  his  head  be 
hind  a  bunch  of  candles. 

"  Take  care,  young  man,"  laughed  Polly,  "  or 
you  may  be  '  run  to  earth/  instead." 

"  Or  be  requested  by  the  audience  to  get  up 
and  dust,"  cried  the  irrepressible  Jack,  whose 
wit  was  very  apt  to  be  of  a  slangy  character. 
"Now  let  us  settle  the  interior,  or  I  shall  go 
mad." 

"  Bell  and  I  have  it  all  settled,"  said  Geoffrey, 
promptly.  "  The  background  is  to  be  made  of 
three  sheets  hung  over  a  line,  and  the  two  sides 
will  be  formed  of  canvas  carpets;  the  walls 
will  have  Japanese  fans,  parasols,  and  "  — 

"  Jupiter !  "  exclaimed  Jack,  who,  as  knight 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  139 

of  the  brush,  felt  compelled  to  be  artistic. 
"  Imagine  a  ducal  palace,  in  the  year  so  many 
hundred  and  something,  decorated  with  Jap 
anese  bric-a-brac  !  I  blush  for  you." 

"  Now,  Jack,  we  might  as  well  drop  the 
Avhole  play  as  begin  to  think  of  the  '  nakkeron- 
isms,'  or  whatever  the  word  is.  I  have  got  to 
wear  an  old  white  wrapper  to  the  wrestling- 
match,  but  I  don't  complain,"  said  Polly. 

Just  here  Bell  ran  back  from  the  kitchen, 
exclaiming,  — 

"  I  have  secured  Pancho  for  Charles  the 
wrestler.  Oh,  he  was  fearfully  obstinate !  but 
when  I  told  him  he  would  only  be  on  the  stage 
two  minutes,  and  would  not  have  to  speak  a 
word,  but  just  let  Geoff  throw  him,  he  con 
sented.  Isn't  that  good?  Did  you  decide 
about  the  decorations  ?  " 

"  It  will  have  to  be  just  as  we  suggested," 
answered  Margery.  "  Fans,  parasols,  flowers, 
and  leaves,  with  the  madrono-wood  furniture 
scattered  about,  sheep-skins,  etc." 

"  A  few  venison  rugs,  I  presume  you  mean," 
said  Geoffrey,  slyly.  "  Say,  Polly,  omit  the 
cold  cream  for  once,  will  you?  You  don't 
want  to  outshine  everybody." 

"  Thank  you,"  she  replied.  "  I  will  en 
deavor  to  take  care  of  my  own  complexion,  if 


140  THE  FOREST   OF  ARDEN. 

you  will  allow  me.  As  for  yours,  you  look 
more  like  Othello  than  Orlando." 

"  Come,  come,  girls/'  said  industrious  Mar 
gery,  "  let  us  go  to  the  tent  and  sew.  It  is 
nothing  but  nonsense  here,  and  we  are  not  ac 
complishing  anything." 

So  they  wisely  left  the  boys  to  themselves 
for  the  entire  day,  and  transformed  their  tent 
into  a  mammoth  dressmaking  establishment, 
with  clever  aunt  Truth  as  chief  designer. 

The  intervening  hours  had  slipped  quickly 
away,  and  now  the  fatal  moment  had  arrived, 
and  everything  was  ready  for  the  play. 

The  would-be  actresses  were  a  trifle  excited 
when  the  Professor  and  his  eight  students  were 
brought  up  and  introduced  by  Jack  and  Scott 
Burton  ;  and,  as  if  that  were  not  enough,  who 
should  drive  up  at  the  last  moment  but  the 
family  from  the  neighboring  milk  ranch,  and 
beg  to  be  allowed  the  pleasure  of  witnessing 
the  performance.  Mr.  Sandford  was  the  gentle 
man  who  had  sold  Dr.  Winship  his  land,  and 
so  they  were  cordially  invited  to  remain. 

All  the  cushions  and  shawls  belonging  to 
the  camp  were  arranged  carefully  on  the  knoll, 
for  audience  seats ;  it  was  a  brilliant  moonlight 
night,  and  the  stage  'assumed  a  very  festive 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  141 

appearance  with  its  four  pounds  of  candles  and 
twelve  Chinese  lanterns. 

Meanwhile  the  actors  were  dressing  in  their 
respective  tents.  Bell's  first  dress  was  a  long 
pink  muslin  wrapper  of  Mrs.  Burton's,  which 
had  been  helted  in  and  artistically  pasted  over 
with  bouquets  from  the  cretonne  trunk  covers, 
in  imitation  of  flowered  satin ;  under  this  she 
wore  a  short  blue  lawn  skirt  of  her  own,  catch 
ing  up  the  pink  muslin  on  the  left  side  with  a 
bouquet  of  wild  roses,  and  producing  what  she 
called  "  a  positively  Neilson  effect." 

Her  bright  hair  was  tossed  up  into  a  fluffy 
knot  on  the  top  of  her  head ;  and  with  a  flat 
coronet  of  wild  roses  and  another  great  bunch 
at  her  belt,  one  might  have  gone  far  and  not 
have  found  a  prettier  Rosalind. 

"I  declare,  you  are  just  too  lovely  —  isn't 
she  Laura  ?  "  asked  Margery. 

"  Yes,  she  looks  quite  well,"  answered  Laura, 
abstractedly,  being  much  occupied  in  making 
herself  absurdly  beautiful  as  Audrey.  "  Of 
course  the  dress  fits  horridly,  but  perhaps  it 
won't  show  in  the  dim  light." 

"  Oh,  is  it  very  bad  ?  "  sighed  Bell  plain 
tively  ;  "  I  can't  see  it  in  this  glass.  Well,  the 
next  one  fits  better,  and  I  have  to  wear  that  the 
longest.  Shall  I  do  your  hair,  Laura  ?  " 


142  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

"  No  —  thanks ;  Margery  has  such  a  capital 
knack  at  hair-dressing,  and  she  doesn't  come 
on  yet." 

During  this  conversation  Polly  was  strug 
gling  with  aunt  Truth's  trained  white  wrapper. 
It  was  rather  difficult  to  make  it  look  like  a 
court  dress ;  but  she  looked  as  fresh  and  radiant 
as  a  rose  in  it,  for  the  candle-light  obliterated 
every  freckle,  and  one  could  see  nothing  but 
a  pair  of  dancing  eyes,  the  pinkest  of  cheeks, 
and  a  head  running  over  with  curls  of  ruddy 
gold. 

"  Now,  Bell,  criticise  me  !  "  she  cried,  taking 
a  position  in  the  middle  of  the  tent,  and  turning 
round  like  a  wax  figure.  "  I  have  torn  out  my 
hair  by  the  roots  to  give  it  a  '  done  up '  look, 
and  have  I  succeeded?  and  shall  I  wear  any 
flowers  with  this  lace  surplice  ?  and  what  on 
earth  shall  I  do  with  my  hands  ?  they  're  so 
black  they  will  cast  a  gloom  over  the  stage. 
Perhaps  I  can  wrap  my  handkerchief  carelessly 
round  one,  and  I  '11  keep  the  other  round  your 
waist,  considerable,  tucked  under  your  Wat- 
teau  pleat.  Will  I  do  ?  " 

"Do?  I  should  think  so  !  "  and  Bell  eyed 
her  with  manifest  approval.  "  Your  hair  is 
very  nice,  and  your  neck  looks  lovely  with  that 
lace  handkerchief.  As  for  flowers,  why  don't 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  143 

you  wear  a  great  mass  of  yellow  and  white 
daisies  ?  You  '11  be  as  gorgeous  as  "  — 

"  As  a  sunset  by  Turner,"  said  Laura  with  a 
glance  at  Polly's  auburn  locks.  "  Seems  to  me 
this  is  a  mutual  admiration  society,  is  n't  it  ?  " 
and  she  sank  languidly  into  a  chair  to  have  her 
hair  dressed. 

"Yes,  it  is,"  cried  Polly,  boldly;  "and  it's 
going  to  '  continner.'  Meg,  you  're  a  darling  in 
that  blue  print  and  pretty  hat.  I  '11  fill  my 
fern-basket  with  flowers,  and  you  can  take  it, 
so  as  to  have  something  in  your  hand  to  play 
with.  You  look  nicer  than  any  Phoebe  I  ever 
saw,  that 's  a  fact.  And  now,  hurrah  !  we  're  all 
ready,  and  there  's  the  boys'  bell,  so  let  us  as 
semble  out  in  the  kitchen.  Oh  dear  !  I  believe 
I  'm  frightened,  in  spite  of  every  promise  to 
the  contrary." 

When  the  young  people  saw  each  other  for 
the  first  time  in  their  stage  costumes,  there  was 
a  good  deal  of  merriment  and  some  honest  admi 
ration.  Geoff  looked  very  odd  without  his  eye 
glasses  and  with  the  yellow  wig  that  was  the 
one  property  belonging  to  this  star  dramatic 
organization. 

The  girls  had  not  succeeded  in  producing 
a  great  effect  with  the  masculine  costumes,  be 
cause  -of  insufficient  material.  But  the  boys 


144  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

had  determined  not  to  wear  their  ordinary 
clothes,  no  matter  what  happened ;  so  Jack  had 
donned  one  of  Hop  Yet's  blue  blouses  for  his 
Sylvius  dress,  and  had  ready  a  plaid  shawl  to 
throw  gracefully  over  one  shoulder  whenever 
he  changed  to  the  Banished  Duke. 

His  Sylvius  attire  was  open  to  criticism,  but 
no  one  could  fail  to  admire  his  appearance  as 
the  Duke,  on  account  of  a  magnificent  ducal 
head-gear,  from  which  soared  a  bunch  of  tall 
peacock  feathers. 

"  Oh,  Jack,  what  a  head-dress  for  a  Duke !  " 
laughed  Margery;  "no  wonder  they  banished 
you.  Did  you  offend  the  court  hatter  ?  " 

Phil  said  that  at  all  events  nobody  could 
mistake  him  for  anything  but  a  fool,  in  his 
"  Touchstone  "  costume,  and  so  he  was  jest-er 
going  to  be  contented. 

Scott  Burton  was  arranging  Pancho's  toilette 
for  the  wrestling-match,  and  meanwhile  trying 
to  raise  his  drooping  spirits ;  and  Eosalind  was 
vainly  endeavoring  to  make  Adam's  beard  of 
gray  moss  stay  on. 

While  these  antics  were  going  on  behind  the 
scenes,  the  audience  was  seated  on  the  knoll, 
making  merry  over  the  written  programmes, 
which  had  been  a  surprise  of  Geoff's,  and  read 
as  follows :  — 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  145 

THE  PRINCESS'   THEATRE. 

July  10th,  188-. 


APPEARANCE  OF  THE  GREATEST  DRAMATIC  COMPANY 
ON  EARTH  (FACT). 

THE  COOLEST  THEATRE  IN  THE  WORLD. 

A  Royal  Galaxy  and  Boyaxy  of  Artists  in  the  play  of 

•AS    YOU  LIKE  IT, 
By  William  Shakespeare,  or  Lord  Bacon. 

CAST. 

"Alas  !  unmindful  of  their  doom,  the  little  victims  play  • 
No  sense  have  they  of  ills  to  come,  or  cares  beyond  to-day" 

ROSALIND         .         .         .        v    The  Lady  Bell-Pepper. 

(Her  greatest  creation.) 

CELIA  ...  •  ^  .  The  Countess  Paulina. 
PHGEBE  .  .  .  The  Duchess  of  Sweet  Marjoram. 
AUDREY  .  .  A  talented  Incognita  of  the  Court. 

ORLANDO         .         .          Hennery  Irving  Salvini  Strong. 

(Late  from  the  Blank  Theatre,  Oil  City.) 
ADAM      .         .         .         .        '.         .     Dr.  Paul  Winship. 

(By  kind  permission  of  his  manager,  Mrs.  T.  W.) 
BANISHED  DUKE  )  T      7  T  ,     TT         n  1 
SYLYIUS  [ Lord  John  Howard  1        Lightning 

JrcuQ™E }      Duke  °f  N°bie  f Change  Artists* 

(N.  B.     The  Duke  of  Noble  has  played  the  "  fool  " 

five  million  times.) 
OLIVER  .         ,'        .         .         /       .      Mr.  Scott  Burton. 

(Specially  engaged.) 

CHARLES  THE  WRESTLER      .    Pancho  Muldoon  Sullivan. 
(His  first  appearance.) 


146  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

The  Comb  Orchestra  will  play  the  Music  of  the  Future. 

The  Usher  will  pass  pop-corn  between  the  Acts. 

Beds  may  be  ordered  at  10.30. 

The  scene  between  Adam  and  Orlando  went 
off  with  good  effect ;  and  when  Celia  and  Rosa 
lind  came  through  the  trees  in  an  affectionate 
attitude,  and  Celia' s  blithe  voice  broke  the  still 
ness  with,  "  I  pray  thee  Rosalind,  sweet  my  coz, 
be  merry,"  there  was  a  hearty  burst  of  applause 
which  almost  frightened  them  into  silence. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  act  everybody  was 
delighted  ;  the  stage-manager,  carpenter,  scene- 
shifter,  costumer,  and  all  the  stars  were  called 
successively  before  the  curtain. 

Hop  Yet  declared  it  was  "  all  the  same  good 
as  China  theatre ; "  and  every  one  agreed  to  that 
criticism  without  a  dissenting  voice. 

To  be  sure,  there  was  an  utter  absence  of 
stage-management,  and  all  the  "  traditions " 
were  remarkable  for  their  absence ;  but  I 
fancy  that  the  spirits  of  Siddons  and  Kemble, 
Macready  and  Garrick,  looked  down  with  kind 
approval  upon  these  earnest  young  actors  as 
they  recited  the  matchless  old  words,  moving 
to  and  fro  in  the  quaint  setting  of  trees  and 
moonlight,  with  an  orchestra  of  cooing  doves 
and  murmuring  zephyrs. 

The  forest  scenes  were  intended  to  be  the 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  147 

features  of  the  evening,  and  in  these  the  young 
people  fairly  surpassed  themselves.  Any  one 
who  had  seen  Neilson  in  her  doublet  and  hose 
of  silver-gray,  Modjeska  in  her  shades  of  blue, 
and  Ada  Cavendish  in  her  lovely  suit  of  green, 
might  have  thought  Bell's  patched-up  dress  a 
sorry  mixture ;  yet  these  three  brilliant  stars  in 
the  theatrical  firmament  might  have  envied  this 
little  Kosalind  the  dewy  youth  and  freshness 
that  so  triumphed  over  all  deficiencies  of  cos 
tume. 

Margery's  camping-dress  of  gray,  shortened 
to  the  knee,  served  for  its  basis.  Round  the 
skirt  and  belt  and  sleeves  were  broad  bands  of 
laurel-leaf  trimming.  She  wore  a  pair  of  Mar 
gery's  long  gray  stockings  and  Laura's  dainty 
bronze  Newport  ties.  A  soft  gray  chudda 
shawl  of  aunt  Truth's  was  folded  into  a  mantle 
to  swing  from  the  shoulder,  its  fringes  being 
caught  up  out  of  sight,  and  a  laurel-leaf  trim 
ming  added.  On  her  bright  wavy  hair  was 
perched  a  cunning  flat  cap  of  leaves,  and,  as 
she  entered  with  Polly,  leaning  on  her  manza- 
nita  staff,  and  sighing,  "  Oh  Jupiter,  how  weary 
are  my  spirits ! "  one  could  not  wish  a  lovelier 
stage  picture. 

And  so  the  play  went  on,  with  varying  for 
tunes.  Margery  was  frightened  to  death,  and 


148  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

persisted  in  taking  Touchstone's  speeches  right 
out  of  his  mouth,  much  to  his  discomfiture. 
Adam's  beard  refused  to  stay  on ;  so  did  the 
moustache  of  the  Banished  Duke,  and  the 
clothes  of  Sylvius.  But  nothing  could  dampen 
the  dramatic  fire  of  the  players,  nor  destroy  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  sympathetic  audience. 

Dicky  sat  in  the  dress-circle,  wrapped  in 
blankets,  and  laughed  himself  nearly  into  con 
vulsions  over  Touchstone's  jokes,  and  the  stage 
business  of  the  Banished  Duke ;  for  it  is  un 
necessary  to  state  that  Jack  was  not  strictly 
Shakespearean  in  his  treatment  of  the  part. 

As  for  Polly,  she  enjoyed  being  Celia  with 
all  her  might,  and  declared  her  intention  of 
going  immediately  on  the  "  regular  "  stage  ;  but 
Jack  somewhat  destroyed  her  hopes  by  affirm 
ing  that  her  nose  and  hair  would  n't  be  just 
the  thing  on  the  metropolitan  boards,  although 
they  might  pass  muster  in  a  backwoods  theatre. 


"  Hello  !  What 's  this  ?  "  exclaimed  Philip, 
one  morning.  "  A  visitor  ?  Yes  —  no  !  Why, 
it  7s  Senor  Don  Manuel  Felipe  Hilario  Noriega 
coming  up  the  canon !  He 's  got  a  loaded 
team,  too  !  I  wonder  if  uncle  Doc  is  expecting 
anything." 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  149 

The  swarthy  gentleman  with  the  long  name 
emerged  from  one  cloud  of  dust  and  disap 
peared  in  another,  until  he  neared  the  gate 
where  Philip  and  Polly  were  standing. 

Philip  opened  the  gate,  and  received  a  bow 
of  thanks  which  would  have  made  Manuel's 
reputation  at  a  Spanish  court. 

"  Going  up  to  camp  ?  " 

"Si,  senor." 

"Those  things  for  us?" 

«  Si,  senor." 

"What  are  they?" 

"  Si,  senor." 

"  Exactly  !     Well,  are  there  any  letters  ?  " 

"  Si,  senor."  Whereupon  he  drew  one  from 
his  gorgeously-decorated  leather  belt. 

Philip  reached  for  it,  and  Polly  leaned  over 
his  shoulder,  devoured  with  curiosity. 

"  It 's  for  aunt  Truth,"  she  said ;  "  and  — 
yes,  I  am  sure  it  is  Mrs.  Howard's  writing ;  and 
if  it  is  "  — 

Hereupon,  as  Manuel  spoke  no  English, 
and  neither  Philip  nor  Polly  could  make  in 
quiries  in  Spanish,  Polly  darted  to  the  cart  in 
her  usual  meteoric  style,  put  one  foot  on  the 
hub  of  a  wheel  and  climbed  to  the  top  like  a 
squirrel,  snatched  off  a  corner  of  the  canvas 
cover,  and  cried  triumphantly,  "  I  knew  it  1 


150  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

Elsie  is  coming !  Here  's  a  tent,  and  some  mat 
tresses  and  pillows.  Hurry  !  Help  me  down, 
quick  !  Oh,  slow  coach !  Keep  out  of  the  way 
and  I  '11  jump  !  Give  me  the  letter.  I  can 
run  faster  than  you  can."  And  before  the 
vestige  of  an  idea  had  penetrated  Philip's  head, 
nothing  could  be  seen  of  Polly  but  a  pair  of 
twinkling  heels  and  the  gleam  of  a  curly  head 
that  caught  every  ray  of  the  sun  and  turned  it 
into  ruddier  gold. 

It  was  a  dusty,  rocky  path,  and  up-hill  at 
that ;  but  Polly,  who  was  nothing  if  not  ardent, 
never  slackened  her  pace,  but  dashed  along 
until  she  came  in  sight  of  the  camp,  where  she 
expended  her  last  breath  in  one  shrill  shriek  for 
aunt  Truth. 

It  was  responded  to  promptly.  Indeed,  it 
was  the  sort  of  shriek  that  always  commands 
instantaneous  attention ;  and  aunt  Truth  came 
out  of  her  tent  prepared  to  receive  tragic  news. 
Bell  followed;  and  the  entire  family  would 
have  done  the  same,  had  they  been  in  camp. 

Polly  thrust  the  letter  into  Mrs.  Winship's 
hand,  and  sank  down  exhausted,  exclaiming, 
breathlessly, "  There 's  a  mattress — and  a  tent — 
coming  up  the  canon.  —  It 's  Elsie's,  I  know. 
— Philip  is  down  at  the  gate  —  with  the  cart,  — 
but  I  came  ahead.  —  Phew  !  but  it 's  warm  !  " 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  151 

"What!"  cried  Bell,  joyfully.  "Elsie  at 
the  gate  !  It  can't  be  true !  "  And  she  darted 
like  an  arrow  through  the  trees. 

"  Come  back !  come  back  !  "  screamed  Polly. 
"  Elsie  is  not  at  the  gate.  Don  S.  D.  M.  F. 
H.  N.  is  there  with  a  team  loaded  down  with 
things.  Is  n't  it  from  Mrs.  Howard,  aunt 
Truth  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is.  Written  this  morning  from 
Tacitas  Kancho.  Why,  how  is  this  ?  Let  me 
see  !  " 

TACITAS  RANCHO,  Monday  Morning. 

DEAR  TRUTH,  —  You  will  be  surprised  to 
receive  a  letter  from  me,  written  from  Tacitas. 
But  here  we  are,  Elsie  and  I ;  and,  what  is  bet 
ter,  we  are  on  our  way  to  you. 

("I  knew  it !  "  exclaimed  the  girls.) 
Elsie  has  been  growing  steadily  better  for 
three  weeks.     The  fever  seems  to  have  disap 
peared  entirely,  and  the  troublesome  cough  is 
so  much  lessened  that  she  sleeps  all  night  with 
out  waking.     The  doctor  says  that  the  camp- 
life  will  be  the  very  best  thing  for  her  now,  and 
will  probably  complete  her  recovery. 
.("  Oh,  joy,  joy  !  "  cried  the  girls.) 
I  need  not  say  how  gladly  we  followed  this 
special  prescription  of  our  kind  doctor's,  nor 
add  that  we  started  at  once  — 


152  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

("  Oh,  aunt  Truth,  there  is  nobody  within  a 
mile  of  the  camp ;  can't  I,  please  can't  I  turn 
one  little  hand-spring,  just  one  little  ladylike 
one  ?  "  pleaded  Polly,  dancing  on  one  foot,  and 
chewing  her  sun-bonnet  string. 

"  No,  dear,  you  can't !  Keep  quiet  and  let 
me  read.") 

Elsie  would  not  let  me  tell  you  our  plans  any 
sooner,  lest  the  old  story  of  a  sudden  ill  turn 
would  keep  us  at  home ;  and  I  think  very  likely 
that  she  longed  to  give  the  dear  boys  and  girls 
a  surprise. 

We  arrived  at  the  Burtons'  yesterday.  Elsie 
bore  the  journey  exceedingly  well,  but  I  would 
not  take  any  risks,  and  so  we  shall  not  drive 
over  until  day  after  to-morrow  morning. 

("  You  need  n't  have  hurried  quite  so  fast, 
Polly  dear.") 

I  venture  to  send  the  tent  and  its  belongings 
ahead  to-day,  so  that  Jack  may  get  everything 
to  rights  before  we  arrive. 

The  mattress  is  just  the  size  the  girls  ordered ; 
and  of  course  I  've  told  Elsie  nothing  about  the 
proposed  furnishing  of  her  tent. 

I  am  bringing  my  little  China  boy  with  me, 
for  I  happen  to  think  that,  with  the  Burtons, 
we  shall  be  fourteen  at  table.  Gin  is  not  quite 
a  success  as  a  cook,  but  he  can  at  least  wash 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  153 

dishes,  wait  at  table,  and  help  Hop  Yet  in  vari 
ous  ways ;  while  I  shall  be  only  too  glad  to 
share  all  your  housekeeping  cares,  if  you  have 
not  escaped  them  even  in  the  wilderness. 

I  shall  be  so  glad  to  see  you  again ;  and  oh, 
Truth,  I  am  so  happy,  so  happy,  that,  please 
God,  I  can  keep  my  child  after  all !  The  weary 
burden  of  dread  is  lifted  off  my  heart,  and  I 
feel  young  again.  Just  think  of  it !  My  Elsie 
will  be  well  and  strong  once  more  !  It  seems 
too  good  to  be  true. 

Always  your  attached  friend, 

JANET  HOWARD. 

Mrs.  Winship's  voice  quivered  as  she  read 
the  last  few  words,  and  Polly  and  Bell  threw 
themselves  into  each  other's  arms  and  cried  for 
sheer  gladness. 

"  Come,  come,  dears  !  I  suppose  you  will 
make  grand  preparations,  and  there  is  no  time 
to  lose.  One  of  you  must  find  somebody  to 
help  Philip  unload  the  team.  Papa  and  the 
boys  have  gone  fishing,  and  Laura  and  Mar 
gery  went  with  them,  I  think."  And  Mrs. 
Winship  bustled  about,  literally  on  hospitable 
thoughts  in-tent. 

PoUy  tied  on  her  sun-bonnet  with  determina 
tion,  turned  up  her  sleeves  as  if  washing  were 


154  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

the  thing  to  be  done,  and  placed  her  arms 
akimbo. 

"First  and  foremost/'  said  she,  her  eyes 
sparkling  with  excitement,  "  first  and  foremost, 
I  am  going  to  blow  the  horn." 

"Certainly  not,"  said  aunt  Truth.  "Are 
you  crazy,  Polly?  It  is  scarcely  ten  o'clock, 
and  everybody  would  think  it  was  dinner-time, 
and  come  home  at  once." 

"  No,  they  'd  think  something  had  happened 
to  Dicky,"  said  Bell,  "and  that  would  bring 
them  in  still  sooner." 

"  Of  course  !  I  forgot.  But  can't  I  blow  it 
earlier  than  usual  ?  Can't  I  blow  it  at  half- 
past  eleven  instead  of  twelve  ?  We  can't  do  a 
thing  without  the  boys,  and  they  may  not  come 
home  until  midnight  unless  we  do  something 
desperate.  Oh,  delight !  There  's  Don  S.  D. 
M.  F.  H.  N.,  and  Phil  has  found  Pancho  to 
help  unload." 

"  Is  n't  it  lucky  that  we  decided  on  the  place 
for  Elsie's  tent,  and  saved  it  in  case  she  should 
ever  come  ?  "  said  Bell.  "  Now  Philip  and  Pan 
cho  can  set  it  up  whenever  they  choose.  And 
is  n't  it  fortunate  that  we  three  stayed  at  home 
to-day,  and  refused  to  fish  ?  now  we  can  plan 
everything,  and  then  all  work  together  when 
they  come  back." 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  155 

Meanwhile,  Polly  was  tugging  at  an  immense 
bundle,  literally  tooth  and  nail,  as  she  alter 
nated  trembling  clutches  of  the  fingers  with 
frantic  bites  at  the  offending  knot. 

Like  many  of  her  performances,  the  physical 
strength  expended  was  out  of  all  proportion  to 
the  result  produced,  and  one  stroke  of  Philip's 
knife  accomplished  more  than  all  her  ill-directed 
effort.  At  length  the  bundle  of  awning  cloth 
stood  revealed.  "  Oh,  is  n't  it  beautiful  ?  "  she 
cried,  "  it  will  be  the  very  prettiest  tent  in 
camp  ;  —  can't  I  blow  the  horn  ?  " 

"  Look,  mamma,"  exclaimed  Bell,  "  it  is 
green  and  gray,  in  those  pretty  broken  stripes, 
and  the  edge  is  cut  in  lovely  scollops  and 
bound  with  green  braid.  Won't  it  look  pretty 
among  the  trees  ?  " 

Aunt  Truth  came  out  to  join  the  admiring 
group. 

"  0-o-o-h  !  "  screamed  Polly.  "  There  comes 
a  piece  of  the  floor.  They  've  sent  it  all  made, 
in  three  pieces.  What  fun  !  We  '11  have  it 
all  up  and  ready  to  sleep  in  before  we  blow  the 
horn ! " 

"  And  here 's  a  roll  of  straw  matting,"  said 
Phil,  depositing  a  huge  bundle  on  the  ground 
near  the  girls.  "  I  '11  cut  the  rope  to  save  your 
teeth ! " 


156  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

"  Green  and  white  plaid ! "  exclaimed  Bell. 
"  Well !  Mrs.  Howard  did  have  her  wits  about 
her ! " 

"  Oh,  do  let  me  blow  the  horn  !  "  teased  the 
irrepressible  Polly. 

"  Here  are  a  looking-glass  and  a  towel-rack 
and  a  Shaker  rocking-chair/'  called  Philip ; 
"  guess  they  're  going  to  stay  the  rest  of  the 


summer." 


"  Yes,  of  course  they  would  n't  want  a  look 
ing-glass  if  they  were  only  going  to  stay  a 
month  or  two/'  laughed  Bell. 

"  Dear  aunt  Truth,  if  you  won't  let  me  turn 
a  single  decorous  little  hand-spring,  or  blow 
the  horn,  or  do  anything  nice,  will  you  let  us 
use  all  that  new  white  mosquito  netting  ?  Bell 
says  that  it  has  been  in  the  storehouse  for  two 
years,  and  it  would  be  just  the  thing  for  deco 
rating  Elsie's  tent." 

"Why,  of  course  you  may  have  it,  Polly, 
and  anything  else  that  you  can  find.  There  ! 
I  hear  Dicky's  voice  in  the  distance ;  perhaps 
the  girls  are  coming." 

Bell  and  Polly  darted  through  the  swarm  of 
tents,  and  looked  up  the  narrow  path  that  led  to 
the  brook. 

Sure  enough,  Margery  and  Laura  were 
strolling  towards  home  with  little  Anne  and 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  157 

Dick  dangling  behind,  after  the  manner  of 
children.  Margery  carried  a  small  string  of 
trout,  and  Dick  the  inevitable  tin  pail  in  which 
he  always  kept  an  unfortunate  frog  or  two. 
The  girls  had  discovered  that  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  crowding  the  cover  tightly  over  the 
pail  and  keeping  his  victims  shut  up  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  after  which,  he  said,  they  were  nice 
and  tame,  —  so  very  tame,  as  it  transpired, 
that  they  generally  gave  up  the  ghost  in  a  few 
hours  after  their  release.  Margery  had  with 
difficulty  persuaded  him  of  his  cruelty,  and  the 
cover  had  been  pierced  with  a  certain  number 
of  air-holes. 

"  Guess  the  loveliest  thing  that  could  pos 
sibly  happen ! "  called  Bell  at  the  top  of  her 
voice. 

"Elsie  has  come,"  answered  Margery  in  a 
second,  nobody  knew  why;  "let  me  hug  her 
this  minute ! " 

"  With  those  fish  ?  "  laughed  Polly.  «  No  ! 
you  '11  have  to  wait  until  day  after  to-morrow, 
and  then  your  guess  will  be  right.  Is  n't  it 
almost  too  good  to  be  true  ?  " 

"  And  she  is  almost  well,"  added  Bell,  joy 
fully,  slipping  her  arm  through  Margery's  and 
squeezing  it  in  sheer  delight.  "  Mrs.  Howard 
says  she  is  really  and  truly  better.  Oh;  if  Elsie 


158  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

Howard  in  bed  is  the  loveliest,  dearest  thing  in 
the  world,  what  will  it  be  like  to  have  her  out 
of  it  and  with  us  in  all  our  good  times ! " 

"  Has  she  always  been  ill  since  you  knew 
her  ?  "  asked  Laura. 

"  Yes ;  a  terrible  cold  left  her  with  weak 
ness  of  the  lungs,  and  the  doctors  feared  con 
sumption,  but  thought  that  she  might  possi 
bly  outgrow  it  entirely  if  she  lived  in  a  milder 
climate ;  so  Mrs.  Howard  left  home  and  every 
body  she  cared  for,  and  brought  Elsie  to  Santa 
Barbara.  Papa  has  taken  an  interest  in  her 
from  the  first,  and  as  far  as  we  girls  are  con 
cerned  it  was  love  at  first  sight.  You  never 
knew  anybody  like  Elsie  !  " 

"Is  she  pretty?" 

"  Pretty ! "  cried  Polly,  "  she  is  like  an  angel 
in  a  picture  book !  " 

"Interesting?" 

"  Interesting !  "  said  Bell,  in  a  tone  that 
showed  the  word  to  be  too  feeble  for  the  sub 
ject,  —  "  Elsie  is  more  interesting  than  all  the 
other  girls  in  the  world  put  together ! " 

"Popular?" 

66  Popular  !  "  exclaimed  Margery,  taking  her 
turn  in  the  oral  examination,  "  I  don't  know 
whether  anybody  can  be  popular  who  is  al 
ways  in  bed ;  but  if  it 's  popular  to  be  adored 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  159 

by  every  man,  woman,  child,  and  animal  that 
comes  anywhere  near  her,  why  then  Elsie  is 
popular." 

"  And  is  she  a  favorite  with  boys  as  well  as 
girls?" 

"  Favorite  !  "  said  Bell.  "  Why,  they  think 
that  she  is  simply  perfect !  Of  course  she  has 
scarcely  been  able  to  sit  up  a  week  at  a  time 
for  a  year,  and  naturally  she  has  not  seen 
many  people ;  but  if  you  want  a  boy's  opinion, 
just  ask  Philip  or  Geoffrey.  I  assure  you, 
Laura,  after  you  have  known  Elsie  a  while  and 
have  seen  the  impression  she  makes  upon  every 
body,  you  will  want  to  go  to  bed  and  see  if  you 
can  do  likewise." 

"  It  is  n't  just  the  going  to  bed,"  remarked 
Margery,  sagely. 

"  And  it  is  n't  the  prettiness  either,"  added 
Polly ;  "  though  if  you  saw  Elsie  asleep,  a 
flower  in  one  hand,  the  other  under  her  cheek, 
her  hair  straying  over  the  pillow  (0  for  hair 
that  would  stray  anywhere !),  you  would  expect 
every  moment  to  see  a  halo  above  her  head." 

"I  don't  believe  it  is  because  she  is  good 
that  everybody  admires  her  so,"  said  Laura,  "  I 
don't  think  goodness  in  itself  is  always  so  very 
interesting ;  if  Elsie  had  freckles  and  a  snub 
nose  "  ("  Don't  mind  me  !  "  murmured  Polly) 


160  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

"  you  would  find  that  people  would  say  less 
about  her  wonderful  character." 

"  There  are  things  that  puzzle  me/'  said 
Polly,  thoughtfully.  "  It  seems  to  me  that  if 
I  could  contrive  to  be  ever  so  good,  nobody 
ever  would  look  for  a  halo  round  my  head. 
Now,  is  it  my  turned-up  nose  and  red  hair  that 
make  me  what  I  am,  or  did  what  I  am  make 
my  nose  and  hair  what  they  are,  —  which  ?  " 

"  We  11  have  to  ask  aunt  Truth,"  said  Mar 
gery;  "that  is  too  difficult  a  thing  for  us  to 


answer." 


"  Was  n't  it  nice  I  catched  that  big  bull-frog, 
Margie  ? "  cried  Dick,  his  eyes  shining  with 
anticipation.  "  Now  I  '11  have  as  many  as 
seven  or  'leven  frogs  and  lots  of  horned  toads 
when  Elsie  comes,  and  she  can  help  me  play 
with  'em.' " 

When  the  girls  reached  the  tents  again,  the 
last  article  had  been  taken  from  the  team  and 
Manuel  had  driven  away.  The  sound  of  Phil's 
hammer  could  be  heard  from,  the  carpenter- 
shop,  and  Pancho  was  already  laying  the  tent 
floor  in  a  small,  open,  sunny  place,  where  the 
low  boughs  of  a  single  sycamore  hung  so  as  to 
protect  one  of  its  corners,  leaving  the  rest  to 
the  full  warmth  of  the  sunshine  that  was  to 
make  Elsie  entirely  well  again. 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  161 

"  I  am  tired  to  death/'  sighed  Laura,  throw 
ing  herself  down  in  a  bamboo  lounging-chair. 
"  Such  a  tramp  as  we  had !  and  after  all,  the 
boys  insisted  on  going  where.  Dr.  Winship 
would  n't  allow  us  to  follow,  so  that  we  had  to 
stay  behind  and  fish  with  the  children ;  I  wish 
I  had  stayed  at  home  and  read  '  The  Colonel's 
Daughter.' " 

"0  Laura  !  "  remonstrated  Margery,  "think 
of  that  lovely  pool  with  the  forests  of  maiden 
hair  growing  all  about  it !  " 

"  And  poison  oak,"  grumbled  Laura.  "  I 
know  I  walked  into  some  of  it  and  shall  look 
like  a  perfect  fright  for  a  week.  I  shall  never 
make  a  country  girl  — -  it 's  no  use  for  me  to 
try." 

"  It 's  no  use  for  you  to  try  walking  four 
miles  in  high-heeled  shoes,  my  dear,"  said  Polly, 
bluntly. 

"  They  are  not  high,"  retorted  Laura,  "  and 
if  they  are,  I  don't  care  to  look  like  a  —  a  — 
cow-boy,  even  in  the  backwoods." 

"  I  'm  an  awful  example,"  sighed  Polly,  seat 
ing  herself  on  a  stump  in  front  of  the  tent, 
and  elevating  a  very  dusty  little  common-sense 
boot.  "  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  would  never  have 
allowed  me  to  walk  on  his  velvet  cloak  with 
that  boot,  would  he  girls?  Oh,  wasn't  that 


162  THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN. 

romantic,  though  ?  and  don't  I  wish  that  I  had 
been  Queen  Elizabeth ! " 

"  You  've  got  the  hair"  said  Laura. 

"  Thank  you !  I  had  forgotten  Elizabeth's 
hair  was  red ;  so  it  was.  This  is  my  court 
train/'  snatching  a  tablecloth  that  hung  on  a 
bush  near  by,  and  pinning  it  to  her  waist  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  —  "  this  my  farthingale," 
dangling  her  sunbonnet  from  her  belt,  —  "  this 
my  sceptre,"  seizing  a  Japanese  umbrella, — 
"this  my  crown,"  inverting  a  bright  tin  plate 
upon  her  curly  head.  "She  is  just  alighting 
from  her  chariot,  thus  ;  the  courtiers  turn  pale 
thus  ;  (why  don't  you  do  it  ?)  what  shall  be  done  ? 
The  Royal  Feet  must  not  be  wet.  '  Go  round 
the  puddle  ?  Prit,  me  Lud,  Ods  body !  For 
sooth  !  Certainly  not !  Remove  the  puddle  ! ' 
she  says  haughtily  to  her  subjects.  They  are 
just  about  to  do  so,  when  out  from  behind  a 
neighboring  chaparral  bush  stalks  a  beautiful 
young  prince  with  coal-black  hair  and  rose-red 
cheeks.  He  wears  a  rich  velvet  cloak,  glitter 
ing  with  embroidery.  He  sees  not  her  crown, 
her  hair  outshines  it ;  he  sees  not  her  sceptre, 
her  tiny  hand  conceals  it ;  he  sees  naught  save 
the  loathly  mud.  He  strips  off  his  cloak  and 
floats  it  on  the  puddle.  With  a  haughty  but 
gracious  bend  of  her  head  the  Queen  accepts 


THE  FOREST  OF  ARDEN.  163 

the  courtesy;  crosses  the  puddle,  thus,  waves 
her  sceptre,  thus,  and  saying  '  You  shall  hear 
from  me  by  return  mail,  me  Lud,'  she  vanishes 
within  the  castle.  The  next  morning  she  makes 
Sir  Walter  British  Minister  to  Florida.  He 
departs  at  once  with  a  cargo  of  tobacco,  which 
he  exchanges  for  sweet  potatoes,  and  everybody 
is  happy  ever  after." 

The  girls  were  convulsed  with  mirth  at  this 
historical  romance,  and  as  Mrs.  Winship  wiped 
the  tears  of  merriment  from  her  eyes,  Polly 
seized  the  golden  opportunity  and  dropped  on 
her  knees  beside  her. 

"  Please,  aunt  Truth,  we  can't  get  the  white 
mosquito-netting  because  Dr.  Winship  has  the 
key  of  the  store-house  in  his  pocket,  and  so  — 
may  —  I  —  blow  the  horn  ?  " 

Mrs.  Winship  gave  her  consent  in  despair, 
and  Polly  went  to  the  oak-tree  where  the  horn 
hung  and  blew  all  the  strength  of  her  lungs 
into  blast  after  blast  for  five  minutes. 

"  That 's  all  I  needed,"  she  said,  on  return 
ing  ;  "  that  was  an  escape  -  valve,  and  I  shall 
be  lady-like  and  well  behaved  the  rest  of  the 
day." 


CHAPTER    VI. 

QUEEN    ELSIE    VISITS   THE    COURT. 

"  An  hour  and  friend  with  friend  will  meet, 
Lip  cling  to  lip  and  hand  clasp  hand." 


,  Laura/'  asked  Bell,  when  quiet  was 
restored,  "advise  us  about  Elsie's  tent. 
We  want  it  to  be  perfectly  lovely ;  and  you 
have  such  good  taste  !  " 

"  Let  me  think/'  said  Laura.  "  Oh,  if  she 
were  only  a  brunette  instead  of  a  blonde,  we 
could  festoon  the  tent  with  that  yellow  tarla 
tan  I  brought  for  the  play  !  " 

"  What  difference  does  it  make  whether  she 
is  dark  or  light  ?  "  asked  Bell,  obtusely. 

"  Why,  a  room  ought  to  be  as  becoming  as  a 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT.     165 

dress,  —  so  Mrs.  Pinkerton  says.  You  know  I 
saw  a  great  deal  of  her  at  the  hotel ;  and  oh, 
girls!  her  bedroom  was  the  most  exquisite 
thing  you  ever  saw !  She  had  a  French  toilet- 
table,  covered  with  pale  blue  silk  and  white 
marquise  lace,  —  perfectly  lovely,  —  with  yards 
and  yards  of  robin's-egg  blue  watered  ribbon 
in  bows ;  and  on  it  she  kept  all  her  toilet  ar 
ticles,  everything  in  hammered  silver  from  Tif 
fany's,  with  monograms  on  the  back,  —  three  or 
four  sizes  of  brushes,  and  combs,  and  mirrors, 
and  a  full  manicure  set.  It  used  to  take  her 
two  hours  to  dress ;  but  it  was  worth  it.  Oh, 
such  gorgeous  tea-gowns  as  she  had  !  One  of 
old  rose  and  lettuce  was  a  perfect  dream  !  She 
always  had  her  breakfast  in  bed,  you  know.  I 
think  it 's  delightful  to  have  your  breakfast  be 
fore  you  get  up,  and  dress  as  slowly  as  you  like. 
I  wish  mamma  would  let  me  do  it." 

"  What  does  she  do  after  she  gets  dressed,  in 
her  rows  of  old  lettuce  —  I  mean  her  old  rows 
of  lettuce  ?  "  asked  Polly. 

"Do?  Why  really,  Polly,  you  are  too 
stupid.  What  do  you  suppose  she  did  ?  What 
everybody  else  does,  of  course." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Polly,  apologetically. 

"  How  old  is  Mrs.  Pinkerton  ?  "  asked  Mar 
gery. 


166      QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS  THE  COURT. 

"Between  nineteen  and  twenty.  There  is 
not  three  years'  difference  in  our  ages,  though 
she  has  been  married  nearly  two  years.  It 
seems  so  funny." 

"Only  nineteen!"  cried  Bell.  "Why,  I 
always  thought  that  she  was  old  as  the  hills,  — 
twenty-five  or  thirty  at  the  very  least.  She 
always  seemed  tired  of  things." 

"  Well,"  said  Laura,  in  a  whisper  intended 
to  be  too  low  to  reach  Mrs.  Winship's  tent,  "  I 
don't  know  whether  I  ought  to  repeat  what  was 
told  me  in  confidence,  but  the  fact  is  —  well  — 
she  does  n't  like  Mr.  Pinkerton  very  well !  " 

The  other  girls,  who  had  not  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  city  life  and  travel,  looked  as 
dazed  as  any  scandal-monger  could  have  desired. 

"  Don't  like  him  !  "  gasped  Polly,  nearly  fall 
ing  off  the  stump.  "  Why,  she  's  married  to 
him ! " 

"  Where  on  earth  were  you  brought  up  ? " 
snapped  Laura.  "  What  difference  does  that 
make  ?  She  can't  help  it  if  she  does  n't  happen 
to  like  her  husband,  can  she  ?  You  can't  make 
yourself  like  anybody,  can  you  ?  " 

"  Well,  did  she  ever  like  him  ?  "  asked  Mar 
gery  ;  "  for  she 's  only  been  married  a  year  or 
two,  and  it  seems  to  me  it  might  have  lasted 
that  long  if  there  was  anything  to  begin  on." 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT.      167 

"  But,"  whispered  Laura,  mysteriously,  "  you 
see  Mr.  Pinkerton  was  very  rich  and  the  Den- 
tons  very  poor.  Mr.  Denton  had  just  died, 
leaving  them  nothing  at  all  to  live  on,  and  poor 
Jessie  would  have  had  to  teach  school,  or  some 
dreadful  thing  like  that.  The  thought  of  it 
almost  killed  her,  she  is  so  sensitive  and  so  re 
fined.  She  never  told  me  so  in  so  many  words, 
but  I  am  sure  she  married  Mr.  Pinkerton  to 
save  her  mother  from  poverty ;  and  I  pity  her 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart." 

"I  suppose  it  was  noble,"  said  Bell,  in  a 
puzzled  tone,  "if  she  couldn't  think  of  any 
other  way,  but "  — 

"  Well,  did  she  try  very  hard  to  think  of 
other  ways  ?  "  asked  Polly.  "  She  never  looked 
especially  noble  to  me.  I  thought  she  seemed 
like  a  die-away,  frizzlygig  kind  of  a  girl." 

"  I  wish,  Miss  Oliver,  that  you  would  be  kind 
enough  to  remember  that  Mrs.  Pinkerton  is 
one  of  my  most  intimate  friends,"  said  Laura, 
sharply.  "And  I  do  wish,  also,  that  you 
would  n't  talk  loud  enough  to  be  heard  all 
through  the  canon." 

The  color  came  into  Polly's  cheeks,  but  be 
fore  she  could  answer,  Mrs.  Winship  walked  in, 
stocking-basket  in  hand,  and  seated  herself  in 
the  little  wicker  rocking-chair.  Polly's  clarion 


168      QUEEN  ELSIE    VISITS   THE  COURT. 

tones  had  given  her  a  clue  to  the  subject,  and 
she  thought  the  discussion  needed  guidance. 

"You  were  talking  about  Mrs.  Pinkerton, 
girls/'  she  said,  serenely.  "You  say  you  are 
fond  of  her,  Laura  dear,  and  it  seems  very  un 
gracious  for  me  to  criticise  your  friend ;  that  is 
a  thing  which  most  of  us  fail  to  bear  patiently. 
But  I  cannot  let  you  hold  her  up  as  an  ideal  to 
be  worshiped,  or  ask  the  girls  to  admire  as  a 
piece  of  self-denial  what  I  fear  was  nothing  but 
indolence  and  self -gratification.  You  are  too 
young  to  talk  of  these  things  very  much ;  but 
you  are  not  too  young  to  make  up  your  mind 
that  when  you  agree  to  live  all  your  life  long 
with  a  person,  you  must  have  some  other  feel 
ing  than  a  determination  not  to  teach  school. 
Jessie  Denton's  mother,  my  dear  Laura,  would 
never  have  asked  the  sacrifice  of  her  daughter's 
whole  life ;  and  Jessie  herself  would  never  have 
made  it  had  she  been  less  vain,  proud,  and  lux 
urious  in  her  tastes,  and  a  little  braver,  more 
self-forgetting  and  industrious.  These  are 
hard  words,  dear,  and  I  am  sorry  to  use  them. 
She  has  gained  the  riches  she  wanted,  —  the 
carriages  and  servants,  and  tea-gowns,  and  ham 
mered  silver  from  Tiffany's,  but  she  looks  tired 
and  disappointed,  as  Bell  says ;  and  I  've  no 
doubt  she  is,  poor  girl." 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT.     169 

"I  don't  think  you  do  her  justice,  Mrs. 
Winship ;  I  don't,  indeed/'  said  Laura. 

"  If  you  are  really  attached  to  her,  Laura, 
don't  make  the  mistake  of  admiring  her  faults 
of  character,  but  try  to  find  her  better  qualities, 
and  help  her  to  develop  them.  It  is  a  fatal 
thing  when  girls  of  your  age  set  up  these  false 
standards,  and  order  their  lives  by  them.  There 
are  worse  things  than  school-teaching,  yes, 
or  even  floor-scrubbing  or  window-washing. 
Lovely  tea-gowns  and  silver-backed  brushes  are 
all  very  pretty  and  nice  to  have,  if  they  are  not 
gained  at  the  sacrifice  of  something  better.  I 
should  have  said  to  my  daughter,  had  I  been 
Mrs.  Denton, '  We  will  work  for  each  other,  my 
darling,  and  try  to  do  whatever  God  gives  us 
to  do ;  but,  no  matter  how  hard  life  is,  your 
heart  is  the  most  precious  thing  in  the  world, 
and  you  must  never  sell  that,  if  we  part  with 
everything  else.'  Oh,  my  girls,  my  girls,  if  I 
could  only  make  you  believe  that  '  poor  and 
content  is  rich,  and  rich  enough/  I  cannot 
bear  to  think  of  your  growing  year  by  year 
into  the  conviction  that  these  pretty  glittering 
things  of  wealth  are  the  true  gold  of  life  which 
everybody  seeks.  Forgive  me,  Laura,  if  I  have 
hurt  your  feelings." 

"  I  know  you  would  never  hurt  anybody's 


170      QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE   COURT. 

feelings,  if  you  could  help  it,  Mrs.  Winship," 
Laura  answered,  with  a  hint  of  coldness  in  her 
voice,  "  though  I  can't  help  thinking  that  you 
are  a  little  hard  on  poor  Jessie ;  but,  even  then, 
one  can  surely  like  a  person  without  wishing  to 
do  the  very  same  things  she  does." 

"Yes,  that  is  true,"  said  Mrs.  Winship, 
gravely.  "But  one  cannot  constantly  justify 
a  wrong  action  in  another  without  having  one's 
own  standard  unconsciously  lowered.  What 
we  continually  excuse  in  other  people  we 
should  be  inclined  by  and  by  to  excuse  in  our 
selves.  Let  us  choose  our  friends  as  wisely  as 
possible,  and  love  them  dearly,  helping  them  to 
grow  worthier  of  our  love  at  the  same  time  we 
are  trying  to  grow  worthier  of  theirs  ;  because 
'we  live  by  admiration,  hope,  and  love/  you 
know,  but  not  by  admiring  and  loving  the 
wrong  things. 

"  But  there  is  the  horn,  and  I  hear  the  boys. 
Let  us  come  to  luncheon,  and  tell  our  good 
news  of  Elsie." 

With  incredible  energy. 


The  horn!    The  horn!    The  lus  -  ty,  lus  -  ty  horn!   'Tis 


not  a  thing  to  laugh  to  scorn,  A  thing  to  laugh  to  scorn ! 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT.     171 

Long  before  the  boys  appeared  in  sight,  their 
voices  rang  through  the  canon  in  a  chorus  that 
woke  the  echoes,  and  presently  they  came  into 
view,  bearing  two  quarters  and  a  saddle  of 
freshly  killed  mutton,  hanging  from  a  leafy 
branch  swung  between  Jack's  sturdy  shoulder 
and  Geoff's. 

"  A  splendid  '  still  hunt '  this  morning,  aunt 
Truth  !  "  exclaimed  Jack.  "  Game  plenty  and 
not  too  shy,  dogs  in  prime  condition,  hunters 
ditto.  Behold  the  result !  " 

The  girls  could  scarcely  tell  whether  or  no 
Laura  was  offended  at  aunt  Truth's  unexpected 
little  lecture.  She  did  not  appear  quite  as 
unrestrained  as  usual,  but  as  everybody  was 
engaged  in  the  preparations  for  Elsie's  wel 
come  there  was  a  general  atmosphere  of  hilar 
ity  and  confusion,  so  that  no  awkwardness  was 
possible. 

The  tool-shop  resounded  with  blows  of  ham 
mer  and  steel.  Dicky  was  under  everybody's 
feet,  and  his  "seven  or  ten  frogs,"  together 
with  his  unrivaled  collection  of  horned  toads, 
were  continually  escaping  from  their  tin  pails 
and  boxes  in  the  various  tents,  and  everybody 
was  obliged  to  join  in  the  search  to  recover 
and  reincarcerate  them,  in  order  to  keep  the 
peace. 


172      QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE   COURT. 

Hop  Yet  was  making  a  gold  and  silver  cake, 
with  "  Elsie  "  in  pink  letters  on  chocolate  frost 
ing.  Philip  had  pitched  the  new  tent  so  that 
in  one  corner  there  was  a  slender  manzanita- 
tree  which  had  been  cropped  for  some  pur 
pose  or  other.  He  had  nailed  a  cross-piece  on 
this,  so  that  it  resembled  the  letter  T,  and 
was  now  laboriously  boring  holes  and  fitting  in 
pegs,  that  Elsie  might  have  a  sort  of  closet 
behind  her  bed. 

As  for  the  rustic  furniture,  the  girls  and 
boys  declared  it  to  be  too  beautiful  for  words. 
They  stood  in  circles  about  it  and  admired  it 
without  reserve,  each  claiming  that  his  own 
special  piece  of  work  was  the  gem  of  the  col 
lection.  The  sunlight  shining  through  the  gray 
and  green  tints  of  the  tent  was  voted  perfec 
tion,  Philip's  closet  a  miracle  of  ingenuity,  the 
green  and  white  straw  matting  an  inspiration. 

The  looking-glass  had  been  mounted  on  a 
packing-box,  and  converted  by  Laura  into  a 
dressing-table  that  rivaled  Mrs.  Pinkerton's  ; 
for  green  tarlatan  and  white  mosquito  netting 
had  been  so  skillfully  combined  that  the  tradi 
tional  mermaid  might  have  been  glad  to  make 
her  toilet  there  "  with  a  comb  and  a  glass  in 
her  hand."  The  rest  of  the  green  and  white 
gauzy  stuff  had  been  looped  from  the  corners 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT.    173 

of  the  tent  to  the  centre  of  the  roof-piece,  and 
delicate  tendrils  of  wild  clematis  climbed  here 
and  there  as  if  it  were  growing,  its  roots 
plunged  in  cunningly  hidden  bottles  of  water. 
Bell  had  gone  about  with  pieces  of  awning 
cloth  and  green  braid,  and  stitched  an  elaborate 
system  of  pockets  on  the  inside  of  the  tent 
wherever  they  would  not  be  too  prominent. 
There  were  tiny  pockets  for  needle-work,  thim 
bles,  and  scissors,  medium-sized  pockets  for 
soap  and  combs  and  brushes,  bigger  pockets 
for  shoes  and  slippers  and  stockings,  and 
mammoth  pockets  for  anything  else  that  Elsie 
might  ordain  to  put  in  a  pocket. 

By  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Margery 
had  used  her  clever  fingers  to  such  purpose 
that  a  white  silesia  flag,  worked  with  the  camp 
name,  floated  from  the  tip  top  of  the  front 
entrance  to  the  tent.  The  ceremony  of  raising 
the  flag  was  attended  with  much  enthusiasm, 
and  its  accomplishment  greeted  by  a  deafen 
ing  cheer  from  the  entire  party. 

"  Unless  one  wants  Paradise,"  sighed  Mar 
gery,  "  who  would  n't  be  contented  with  dear 
Camp  Chaparral?" 

"Who  would  live  in  a  house,  any  way?"  ex 
claimed  Philip.  "  Sniff  this  air,  and  look  up 
at  that  sky !  " 


174     QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT. 

"  And  this  is  what  they  call  '  roughing  it/ 
in  Santa  Barbara/'  quoth  Dr.  Winship.  "  Why, 
you  youngsters  have  made  that  tent  fit  for  the 
occupancy  of  a  society  belle." 

"  Now  let 's  organize  for  reception  !  "  cried 
Geoffrey.  "  Assemble,  good  people !  Come 
over  here,  aunt  Truth !  I  will  take  the  chair 
myself,  since  I  don  't  happen  to  see  anybody 
who  would  fill  it  with  more  dignity." 

"  I  am  going  to  mount  my  broncho  and  go 
out  on  the  road  to  meet  my  beloved  family/' 
said  Jack,  sauntering  up  to  the  impromptu 
council  chamber. 

"  How  can  you  tell  when  they  will  arrive  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Winship. 

"  I  can  make  a  pretty  good  guess.  They  '11 
probably  start  from  Tacitas  as  early  as  eight  or 
nine  o'clock,  if  Elsie  is  well.  Let 's  see :  it 's 
about  twenty-five  miles,  is  n't  it,  uncle  Doc  ? 
Say  twenty-three  to  the  place  where  they  turn 
off  the  main  road.  Well,  I'll  take  a  bit  of 
lunch,  ride  out  ten  or  twelve  miles,  hitch  my 
horse  in  the  shade,  and  wait." 

"Very  well,"  said  Geoffrey.  "It  is  not 
usual  for  committees  to  appoint  themselves, 
but  as  you  are  a  near  relative  of  our  distin 
guished  guests  we  will  grant  you  special  con 
sideration  and  order  you  to  the  front.  Ladies 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS  THE  COURT.     175 

and  gentlemen,  passing  over  the  slight  infor 
mality  of  the  nomination,  all  in  favor  of  ap 
pointing  Mr.  John  Howard  Envoy  Extraordi 
nary  please  manifest  it  by  the  usual  sign." 

Six  persons  yelled  "  Ay/'  four  raised  the 
right  hand,  and  one  stood  up. 

"  There  seems  to  be  a  slight  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  the  usual  sign.  All  right.  Con 
trary  minded ! " 

"No!"  shouted  PoUy,  at  the  top  of  her 
lungs. 

"  It  is  a  unanimous  vote,"  said  Geoffrey, 
crushingly,  bringing  down  his  fist  as  an  imagi 
nary  gavel  with  incredible  force  and  dignity. 
"  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Winship,  will  you  oblige  the 
Chair  by  acting  as  a  special  Reception  Commit 
tee?"  ' 

"  Certainly,"  responded  the  doctor,  smilingly. 
"  Will  the  Chair  kindly  outline  the  general  pol 
icy  of  the  committee?  " 

"  Hm — m — m  !  Yes,  certainly,  —  of  course. 
The  Chair  suggests  that  the  Reception  Com 
mittee  —  well,  that  they  stay  at  home  and  — 
receive  the  guests,  —  yes,  that  will  do  very 
nicely.  All-in-f avor-and  -  so  -  forth  -  it  -is-a-vote- 
and-so-ordered.  Secretary  will  please  spread  a 
copy  on  the  minutes."  Gavel. 

"  I  rise  to  a  point  of  order,"  said  Jack,  sagely. 


176      QUEEN  ELSIE    VISITS  THE  COURT.    „ 

"  There  is  no  secretary  and  there  are  no  min 
utes." 

"  Mere  form/'  said  the  Chair,  —  "  sit  down  ; 
there  will  be  minutes  in  a  minute,  —  got  to  do 
some  more  things  first ;  that  will  do,  sit  down. 
Will  the  Misses  Burton  and  Messrs.  Burton 
and  Noble  kindly  act  as  Committee  on  Decora 
tion?" 

"  Where 's  the  Committee  on  Music,  and  Re 
freshments,  and  Olympian  Games,  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing  ?  "  interrupted  Polly,  who  had  not 
the  slightest  conception  of  parliamentary  eti 
quette  ;  "  and  why  don't  you  hurry  up  and  put 
me  on  something  ?  " 

"  If  Miss  Oliver  refuses  to  bridle  her  tongue, 
and  persists  in  interrupting  the  business  of  the 
meeting,  the  Chair  will  be  obliged  to  remove 
her,"  said  Geoffrey,  with  chilling  emphasis. 

Polly  rose  again,  undaunted.  "  I  would  re 
spectfully  ask  the  Chair,  who  put  him  in  the 
chair,  any  way  ?  " 

"  Question  !  "  roared  Philip. 

"  Second  the  motion  !  "  shrieked  Bell,  that 
being  the  only  parliamentary  expression  she 
knew. 

"  Order  !  "  cried  Geoffrey  in  stentorian  ac 
cents.  "  I  will  adjorirn  the  meeting  and  clear 
the  court-room  unless  there  is  order." 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS  THE  COURT.     177 

"  Do ! "  remarked  Polly,  encouragingly.  "  I 
will  rise  again,  like  Phoebus,  from  my  ashes,  to 
say  that "  — 

Here  Jack  sprang  to  his  feet.  "  I  would 
suggest  to  the  Chair  that  the  last  speaker 
amend  her  motion  by  substituting  the  word 
6  Phoenix  '  for  <  Phoebus/  " 

"  Accept  the  amendment/'  said  Polly  se 
renely,  amidst  the  general  hilarity. 

"  Question  !  "  called  Bell,  with  another 
mighty  projection  of  memory  into  a  missionary 
meeting  that  she  had  once  attended. 

"I  am  not  aware  that  there  is  any  motion 
before  the  house/'  said  Geoffrey,  cuttingly. 

"  Second  the  motion  !  "  "  Second  the 
amendment !  "  shouted  the  girls. 

"  Ladies,  there  is  no  motion.  Will  you 
oblige  the  Chair  by  remaining  quiet  until 
speech  is  requested  ?  " 

"  Move  that  the  meeting  be  adjourned  and 
another  one  called,  with  a  new  Chair ! "  re 
marked  Margery,  who  felt  that  the  honor  of 
her  sex  was  at  stake. 

"  Move  that  this  motion  be  so  ordered  and 
spread  upon  the  minutes,  and  a  copy  of  it  be 
presented  to  the  Chairman/'  suggested  Philip. 

"  Move  that  the  copy  be  appropriately  bound 
in  calf"  said  Jack,  dodging  an  imaginary  blow. 


178      QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT. 

"  Move  that  the  other  committees  be  elected 
by  ballot/'  concluded  Scott  Burton. 

"  This  is  simply  disgraceful !  "  exclaimed  the 
Chair.  "  Order  !  order  !  I  appoint  Miss  Oliver 
Committee  on  Entertainment,  with  a  view  of 
keeping  her  still." 

This  was  received  with  particular  as  well  as 
general  satisfaction. 

"Miss  Winship,  we  appoint  you  Committee 
on  Music." 

"  AU  right.  Do  you  wish  it  to  be  orig- 
inal?" 

"  Certainly  not ;  we  wish  it  to  be  good." 

"  But  we  only  know  one  chorus,  and  that 's 
<My  Witching  Dinah  Snow.'  " 

66  Never  mind ;  either  write  new  words  to 
that  tune  or  sing  tra-la-la  to  it.  Mr.  Eichard 
Winship,  the  Chair  appoints  you  Committee  on 
Menagerie,  and  suggests  that  as  we  have  pro 
claimed  a  legal  holiday,  you  give  your  animals 
the  freedom  of  the  city." 

"  Don't  know  what  freedom  of  er  city 
means,"  said  Dicky,  who  feared  that  he  was 
being  made  the  butt  of  ridicule. 

"  Why,  we  want  you  to  allow  the  captives  to 
parade  in  the  evening,  with  torch-lights  and 
mottoes." 

"  All  right !  "  cried  Dicky,  kindling  in  an 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE   COURT.     179 

instant ;  "  'n'  Luby,  V  the  doat,  'n'  my  horn' 
toads,  all  e'cept  the  one  that  just  gotted  away 
in  Laura's  bed ;  but  may  be  she  '11  find  him  to 
night,  so  they  '11  be  all  there." 

This  was  too  much  for  the  various  commit 
tees,  and  Laura's  wild  shriek  was  the  signal  for 
a  hasty  adjournment.  A  common  danger  re 
stored  peace  to  the  assembly,  and  they  sought 
the  runaway  in  perfect  harmony. 

"  Well,"  said  Jack,  when  quiet  was  restored, 
"  I  am  going  a  little  distance  up  the  Pico 
Negro  trail :  there  are  some  magnificent  Spanish 
bayonets  growing  there,  and  if  you  '11  let  me 
have  Pancho,  uncle  Doc,  we  can  bring  down 
four  of  them  and  lash  them  to  each  of  the 
corners  of  Elsie's  tent,  —  they  '11  keep  fresh 
several  days  in  water,  you  know." 

"  Take  him,  certainly,"  said  Dr.  Winship. 

"  Do  let  me  go  with  you ! "  pleaded  Laura, 
with  enthusiasm.  "  I  should  like  the  walk  so 
much." 

"  It 's  pretty  rough,  Laura,"  objected  Mar 
gery.  "  If  you  could  n't  endure  our  walk  this 
morning,  you  would  never  get  home  alive  from 
Pico  Negro." 

"  Oh,  that  was  in  the  heat  of  the  day,"  she 
answered.  "  I  feel  equal  to  any  amount  of  walk 
ing  now,  if  Jack  does  n't  mind  taking  me." 


180      QUEEN  ELSIE    VISITS   THE   COURT. 

"  Delighted,  of  course,  Miss  Laura.  You  '11 
be  willing  to  carry  home  one  of  the  trees,  I 
suppose,  in  return  for  the  pleasure  of  my  so 
ciety?" 

"Snub  him  severely,  Laura,"  cried  Bell; 
"  we  never  allow  him  to  say  such  things  unre- 
proved." 

"  I  think  he  is  snubbed  too  much  already," 
replied  Laura,  with  a  charming  smile,  "  and  I 
shall  see  how  a  course  of  encouragement  will 
affect  his  behavior." 

"That  will  be  what  I  long  have  sought, 
And  mourned  because  I  found  it  not," 

sang  Jack  nonchalantly. 

"  Oh,  Laura,"  remonstrated  Bell,  "  think 
twice  before  you  encourage  him  in  his  dreadful 
ways.  We  have  studied  him  very  carefully, 
and  we  know  that  the  only  way  to  live  with 
him  is  to  keep  him  in  a  sort  of  ( pint  pot ' 
where  we  can  hold  the  lid  open  just  a  little, 
and  clap  it  down  suddenly  whenever  he  tries  to 
spring  out." 

"Do  not  mind  that  young  person,  Miss 
Laura,  but  form  your  own  impressions  of  my 
charming  character.  Excuse  me,  please,  while 
I  put  on  a  celluloid  collar,  and  make  some  few 
changes  in  my  toilet  necessary  to  a  proper  ap 
pearance  in  your  distinguished  company." 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT.     181 

"  I  prefer  you  as  you  are,"  answered  Laura, 
laughingly.  "  Let  us  start  at  once." 

"  Do  you  hear  that,  young  person  ?  She 
prefers  me  as  I  are  !  Now  see  what  magic 
power  her  generosity  has  upon  me  !  "  And  he 
darted  into  the  tent,  from  which  he  issued  in  a 
moment  with  his  Derby  hat,  a  manzanita  cane, 
a  pocket  handkerchief  tied  about  his  throat, 
and  a  flower  pinned  on  his  flannel  camping- 
shirt,  —  a  most  ridiculous  figure,  since  nothing 
seems  so  out  of  place  in  the  woods  as  any  sug 
gestion  of  city  costumes  or  customs.  Laura 
was  in  high  good-humor,  and  looked  exceed 
ingly  brilliant  and  pretty,  as  she  always  did 
when  she  was  the  central  figure  of  any  group 
or  the  bright  particular  star  of  any  occasion. 

"Be  home  before  dark,"  said  Dr.  Winship. 
"  Pancho,  keep  a  lookout  for  the  pack-mule. 
Truth,  one  of  the  pack-mules  has  disappeared." 

"  So  ?     Dumpling  or  Ditto  ?  " 

"  Ditto,  curiously  enough.  His  name  should 
have  led  him  not  to  set  an  example,  but  to  fol 
low  one." 

Elsie  came. 

Perhaps  you  thought  that  this  was  going  to 
be  an  exciting  story,  and  that  something  would 
happen  to  keep  her  at  the  Tacitas  ranch ;  but 


182      QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT. 

nothing  did.  Everything  came  to  pass  exactly 
as  it  was  arranged,  and  Jack  met  his  mother 
and  sister  at  twelve  o'clock  some  four  miles 
from  the  camp,  and  escorted  them  to  the  gates. 

"  Welcome "  had  been  painted  on  twenty 
different  boards  or  bits  of  white  cloth  and 
paper,  and  nailed  here  and  there  on  the  trees 
that  lined  the  rough  wood-road ;  the  strains  of 
an  orchestra,  formed  of  a  guitar,  banjo,  cas 
tanets,  Chinese  fiddle,  and  tin  cans,  greeted 
them  from  a  distance,  but  were  properly  allowed 
to  die  away  in  silence  when  the  guest  neared 
the  tents.  Everything  wore  a  new  and  smiling 
face,  and  Elsie  never  came  more  dangerously 
near  being  squeezed  to  death. 

Elsie,  in  the  prettiest  of  gingham  dresses, 
and  her  cloud  of  golden  hair  braided  in  two 
funny  little  pugs  to  keep  it  out  of  the  dust ; 
Elsie,  with  a  wide  hat  that  shaded  her  face, 
already  a  little  tanned  and  burned,  no  longer 
colorless ;  Elsie,  with  no  lines  of  pain  in  her 
pretty  forehead,  and  the  hollow  ring  gone  from 
her  voice ;  Elsie,  who  jumped  over  the  wheel  of 
the  wagon,  and  hugged  her  huggers  with  the 
strength  of  a  young  bear !  It  was  too  good 
to  believe,  and  nobody  did  quite  believe  it  for 
days. 

At  three  o'clock,  the  happiest  party  in  the 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT.    183 

world    assembled   at   the    rough    dining-table 
under  the  sycamore-trees. 

Elsie  beamed  upon  the  feast  from  the  high- 
backed  manzanita  chair,  a  faint  color  in  her 
cheeks,  and  starry  prisms  of  light  in  a  pair  of 
eyes  that  had  not  sparkled  for  many  a  weary 
month.  Hop  Yet  smiled  a  trifle  himself,  wore 
his  cap  with  a  red  button  on  the  top  to  wait  upon 
the  table,  and  ministered  to  the  hungry  people 
with  more  interest  and  alacrity  than  he  had 
shown  since  he  had  been  dragged  from  Santa 
Barbara,  his  Joss,  and  his  nightly  game  of  fan- 
tan.  And  such  a  dinner  as  he  had  prepared  in 
honor  of  the  occasion  !  —  longer  by  four  courses 
than  usual,  and  each  person  was  allowed  two 
plates  in  the  course  of  the  meal. 

BILL  OF  FARE  FOR  HER  MAJESTY'S 
DINNER. 

Quail  Soup.  Crackers. 

Chili  Colorado. 
(Mutton  stew,  in  Spanish  style,  with  Chili  peppers, 

tomatoes,  and  onions.) 
Cold  Boiled  Ham.  Fried  Potatoes. 

Apples  and  Onions  stewed  together. 
Gingersnaps.  Pickles. 

Peaches,  Apricots,  and  Nectarines. 
California  nuts  and  raisins.  Coffee. 

And  last  of  all,  a  surprise  of  Bell's,  flapjacks, 


184     QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE  COURT. 

long  teased  for  by  the  boys,  and  prepared  and 
fried  by  her  own  hands  while  the  merry  party 
waited  at  table,  to  get  them  smoking  hot. 

She  came  in  flushed  with  heat  and  pride,  the 
prettiest  cook  anybody  ever  saw,  with  her  hair 
bobbed  up  out  of  the  way  and  doing  its  best 
to  escape,  a  high-necked  white  apron,  sleeves 
rolled  up  to  the  elbow,  and  an  insinuating  spot 
of  batter  in  the  dimple  of  her  left  cheek. 

66  There  !  "  she  cried,  joyfully,  as  she  depos 
ited  a  heaping  plate  in  front  of  her  mother,  and 
set  the  tin  can  of  maple  syrup  by  its  side. 
"  Begin  on  those,  and  1 11  fry  like  lightning 
on  two  griddles  to  keep  up  with  you,"  and 
she  rushed  to  the  brush  kitchen  to  turn  her 
next  installments  that  had  been  left  to  brown. 
Hop  Yet  had  retired  to  a  distant  spot  by  the 
brook,  and  was  washing  dish-towels.  All 
Chinese  cooks  are  alike  in  their  horror  of  a 
woman  in  the  kitchen  ;  but  some  of  them  will 
unbend  so  far  as  to  allow  her  to  amuse  herself 
so  long  as  they  are  not  required  to  witness  the 
disagreeable  spectacle. 

Bell  delicately  inserted  the  cake-turner  under 
the  curled  edges  of  the  flapjacks  and  turned 
them  over  deftly,  using  a  little  too  much  force, 
perhaps,  in  the  downward  stroke  when  she 
flung  them  back  on  the  griddle. 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE   COURT.     185 

"  Seems  to  me  they  come  down  with  consid 
erable  of  a  thud/'  she  said,  reflectively.  "  I 
hope  they  're  not  tough,  for  I  should  never 
hear  the  last  of  it.  Guess  I  '11  punch  one  with 
the  handle  of  this  tin  shovel,  and  see  how  it 
acts.  Goodness  !  it 's  sort  of  —  elastic.  That 's 
funny.  Well,  perhaps  it 's  the  way  they  ought 
to  look."  Here  she  transferred  the  smoking 
mysteries  to  her  plate,  passed  a  bit  of  pork  over 
the  griddles,  and,  after  ladling  out  eight  more, 
flew  off  to  the  group  at  the  table. 

"  Are  they  good  ? "  she  was  beginning  to 
ask,  when  the  words  were  frozen  on  her  lips  by 
the  sight  of  a  significant  tableau. 

The  four  boys  were  standing  on  the  bench 
that  served  instead  of  dining-chairs,  each  with 
a  plate  and  a  pancake  on  the  table  in  front  of 
them.  Jack  held  a  hammer  and  spike,  Scott 
Burton  a  hatchet,  Geoffrey  a  saw,  and  Philip  a 
rifle.  Bell  was  nothing  if  not  intuitive.  No 
elaborate  explanations  ever  were  needed  to 
show  her  a  fact.  Without  a  word  she  flung 
the  plate  of  flapjacks  she  held  as  far  into  a 
thicket  as  she  had  force  to  fling  it,  and  then 
dropped  on  her  knees. 

"  *  Shoot,  if  you  must,  this  old  gray  head, 
But  spare  my  flapjacks,  sirs,'  she  said  ! 

"  What 's  the  matter  with  them  ?     Tough  ? 


186      QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE   COURT. 

I  refuse  to  believe  it.  Your  tools  are  too  dull, 
—  that 's  all.  Use  more  energy  !  Nothing  in 
this  world  can  be  accomplished  without  effort." 

"  They  're  a  lovely  brown/'  began  Mrs.  Win- 
ship,  sympathetically. 

"  And  they  have  a  very  good  flavor/'  added 
Elsie. 

"  Don't  touch  them,  dearest ! "  cried  Bell, 
snatching  the  plate  from  under  Elsie's  very 
nose.  "  I  won't  have  you  made  ill  by  my  fail 
ures.  But  as  for  the  boys,  I  don't  care  a  fig 
for  them.  Let  them  make  flapjacks  more  to 
their  taste,  the  odious  things !  Polly  Oliver, 
did  you  put  in  that  baking  powder,  as  I  told 
you,  while  I  went  for  the  pork  ?  " 

Polly  blanched.  "  Baking  powder  ?  "  she  fal 
tered. 

"Yes,  baking  powder!  B-A-K-I-N-G 
P-0-W-D-E-B, !  Do  I  make  myself  plain  ?  " 

"  Oh,  baking  powder,  to  be  sure.  Well, 
now  that  you  mention  the  matter^  I  do  remem 
ber  that  Dicky  called  me  away  just  as  I  was 
getting  it ;  and  now  that  I  think  of  it,  Elsie 
came  just  afterwards,  and  —  and  "  — 

"  And  that 's  the  whole  of  my  story,  0,"  sang 
Jack.  "I  recommend  the  criminal  to  the 
mercy  of  the  court." 

"  A  case  of  too  many  cooks/'  laughed  Dr. 


QUEEN  ELSIE   VISITS   THE   COURT.     187 

Winship.  "  Cheer  up,  girls ;  better  fortune 
next  time." 

"  There  are  eight  more  of  them  burning  on 
the  griddles  this  moment,  Polly,"  said  Bell, 
scathingly  ;  "  and  as  they  are  yours,  not  mine, 
I  advise  you  to  throw  them  in  the  brook,  with 
the  rest  of  the  batter,  so  that  Hop  Yet  won't 
know  that  there  has  been  a  failure." 

"  Some  people  blight  everything  they  touch," 
sighed  Polly,  gloomily,  as  she  departed  for  the 
kitchen. 

"  But  when  I  lie  in  the  green  kirkyard  "  — 

"Oh,  Polly,  dear,"  interrupted  Margery, 
"  that  apology  will  not  serve  any  longer ; 
you  've  used  it  too  often." 

"  This  is  going  to  be  entirely  different,"  con 
tinued  Polly,  tragically. 

"  But  when  I  lie  in  the  green  kirkyard, 

With  the  mould  upon  my  breast, 
Say  not  that  she  made  flapjacks  well, 
Only,  she  did  her  best." 

"  We  promise  !  "  cried  Bell. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY  :    FIRST  HALF. 

IN  WHICH   SHE   REJOICES  AT  THE   MERE   FACT   OF   HER   EXISTENCE. 

"'O  frabjous  day!  Calooh!  Callay!' 
He  chortled  in  his  joy." 

T)OLLY'S  birthday  dawned  auspiciously.  At 
-i  six  o'clock  she  was  kissed  out  of  a  sound 
sleep  by  Bell  and  Margery,  and  the  three  girls 
slipped  on  their  wrappers,  and  prepared  to  run 
through  the  trees  for  a  morning  plunge  in  Mir 
ror  Pool.  Although  it  was  August  there  was 
still  water  enough  in  Minnehaha  Brook  to  give 
one  a  refreshing  dip.  Mirror  Pool  was  a  quar 
ter  of  a  mile  distant,  and  well  guarded  with 
rocks  and  deep  hidden  in  trees ;  but  a  little 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF.       189 

pathway  had  been  made  to  the  water's  edge, 
and  thus  the  girls  had  easy  access  to  what  they 
called  The  Mermaid's  Bath.  A  bay-tree  was 
adorned  with  a  little  redwood  sign,  which  bore 
a  picture  of  a  mermaid,  drawn  by  Margery,  and 
below  the  name  these  lines  in  rustic  letters :  — 

"A  hidden  brook, 

That  to  the  sleeping  woods  all  night 
Singeth  a  quiet  tune." 

Laura  had  not  lived  long  enough  in  the 
woods  to  enjoy  these  cold  plunges ;  and,  as  her 
ideal  was  a  marble  tub,  with  scented  water,  and 
a  French  maid  to  apply  the  same  with  a  velvet 
sponge,  it  is  not  much  wonder.  She  insisted 
that,  though  it  was  doubtless  a  very  romantic 
proceeding,  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  natural 
tub  were  quite  too  rocky  and  rough  for  her 
taste,  and  that  she  should  be  in  constant  terror 
of  snakes  curling  round  her  toes. 

"  I  've  a  great  mind  to  wake  Laura,  just 
for  once,"  said  Bell,  opening  the  tent  door. 
"  There  never  was  such  a  morning  !  (I  be 
lieve  I  've  said  that  regularly  every  day ;  but 
I  simply  never  can  get  used  to  it.)  There 
must  have  been  a  wonderful  sunrise,  dears,  for 
the  glow  has  n't  faded  yet.  Not  a  bit  of 
morning  fog,  —  that 's  good  for  Elsie.  And 
what  a  lovely  day  for  a  birthday !  Did  they 


190       POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF. 

use  to  give  you  anything  like  this  in  Vermont, 
Polly?" 

"Hardly,"  said  Polly,  peering  over  Bell's 
shoulder.  "  Let 's  see.  What  did  they  give 
us  in  Vermont  this  month?  Why,  I  can't 
think  of  anything  but  dog-days,  hot  nights, 
and  hay  fever ;  but  that  sounds  ungrateful. 
Why,  Geoff  's  up  already  !  There  's  Elsie's 
bunch  of  vines,  and  twigs,  and  pretty  things 
hanging  on  her  tent-door.  He  's  been  off  on 
horseback.  Just  my  luck  to  have  him  get  up 
first.  Jack  always  does,  you  know ;  and  last 
night  I  sewed  up  the  tent-opening  with  carpet- 
thread,  good  and  tight,  overhand,  —  stitches  I 
would  n't  be  ashamed  of  at  a  sewing-school." 

"  Oh,  you  naughty  girl ! "  laughed  Bell. 
"  The  boys  could  rip  it  open  with  a  knife  in 
half  the  time  it  took  you  to  sew  it." 

((  Certainly.  I  did  n't  mean  to  keep  them 
sewed  up  all  day  ;  but  I  thought  I  'd  like  Jack 
to  remember  me  the  first  thing  this  morning." 

"  Girls,"  whispered  Margery,  excitedly,  "  don't 
stand  there  mooning  —  or  sunning  —  forever  ! 
I  thought  there  was  a  gopher  in  this  tent  last 
night.  I  heard  something  scratching,  and  I 
thought  it  was  the  dog  outside ;  but  just  look  at 
these  two  holes  almost  under  Laura's  pillow ! " 

"  Let 's  fill  them  up,  cover  them  over,  any- 


POLLY'S   BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF.      191 

thing  !  "  gasped  Bell.     "  Laura  will  never  sleep 
here  another  night,  if  she  sees  them." 

"  Nobody  insured  Laura  against  gophers/' 
said  Polly.     "  She  must  take  the  fortunes  of 


war." 


"  I  would  n't  wake  her/'  said  Margery.  "  She 
didn't  sleep  well,  and  her  face  is  flushed. 
Come,  or  we  shall  be  late  for  breakfast." 

When  they  returned,  fresh  and  rosy,  from 
their  bath,  there  was  a  stir  of  life  in  all  the 
tents.  Pancho  had  come  from  the  stage-station 
with  mail ;  an  odor  of  breakfast  issued  from  the 
kitchen,  where  Hop  Yet  was  humming  a  frag 
ment  of  Chinese  song,  that  ran  something  like 
this,  —  not  loud,  but  unearthly  enough,  as  Bell 
used  to  say,  to  spoil  almost  any  cooking  :  — 
Nasally. 


Fong  fong  mongmong  tin     he      sun 


sow  chong  how  Jci-u     me     yun     tan-tar  che  ku  choi  song  ! 

Dicky  was  abroad,  radiant  in  a  new  suit  of 
clothes,  and  Elsie  pushed  her  golden  head  out 
between  the  curtains,  and  proclaimed  herself 
strong  enough  for  a  wrestling-match  with  any 
boy  or  man  about  the  camp. 


192       POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF. 

But  they  found  Laura  sitting  on  the  edge  of 
her  straw  bed,  directly  over  the  concealed 
gopher-holes,  a  mirror  in  her  hand  and  an  ex 
pression  of  abject  misery  on  her  countenance. 

"  What 's  the  matter  ?  "  cried  the  girls  in  one 
breath.  But  they  needed  no  answer,  as  she 
turned  her  face  towards  the  light,  for  it  was 
plainly  a  case  of  poison-oak,  —  one  eye  almost 
closed,  and  the  cheek  scarlet  and  swollen. 

"  Where  do  you  suppose  you  got  it  ?  "  asked 
Bell. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.  It 's  everywhere  ;  so  I 
don't  see  how  I  ever  hoped  to  escape  it.  Yet 
I  've  worn  gloves  every  minute.  I  think  I 
must  have  touched  it  when  I  went  up  the 
mountain  trail  with  Jack.  I'm  a  perfect  fright 
already,  and  I  suppose  it  has  only  begun." 

"  Is  it  very  painful  ? "  asked  Polly,  sympa 
thetically.  "  Oh,  you  do  look  so  funny,  I  can 
hardly  help  laughing,  but  I  'm  as  sorry  as  I 
can  be." 

"  I  should  expect  you  to  laugh,  —  you  gen 
erally  do,"  retorted  Laura.  "  No,  it 's  not 
painful  yet ;  but  I  don't  care  about  that,  — 
it 's  looking  so  ridiculous.  I  wonder  if  Dr. 
Winship  could  send  me  home.  I  wish  now  that 
I  had  gone  with  Scott,  for  I  can't  be  penned 
up  in  this  tent  a  week." 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF.       193 

"  Oh,  it  won't  hurt  you  to  go  out/'  said  Bell, 
"  and  you  can  lie  in  the  sitting-room.  Just 
wait,  and  let  mamma  try  and  cure  you.  She  's 
a  famous  doctor."  And  Bell  finished  dressing 
hurriedly,  and  went  to  her  mother's  tent, 
while  Polly  and  Margery  smoothed  the  bed 
with  a  furtive  kick  of  straw  over  the  offend 
ing  gopher-holes,  and  hung  a  dark  shawl  so  as 
to  shield  Laura's  eyes. 

Aunt  Truth  entered  speedily,  with  a  family 
medical  guide  under  one  arm,  and  a  box  of 
remedies  under  the  other. 

"  The  doctor  has  told  me  just  what  to  do, 
and  he  will  see  you  after  breakfast  himself. 
It  does  n't  look  so  very  bad  a  case,  dear ;  don't 
run  about  in  the  sun  for  a  day  or  two,  and 
we  '11  bring  you  out  all  right.  The  doctor  has 
had  us  all  under  treatment  at  some  time  or 
other,  because  of  that  troublesome  little  plant." 

"I  don't  want  to  get  up  to  breakfast," 
moaned  Laura. 

"Just  as  you  like.  But  it  is  Polly's  birth 
day,  you  know  (many  happy  returns,  my  sweet 
Pollykins),  and  there  are  great  preparations 
going  on." 

"  I  can't  help  it,  Mrs.  Winship.  The  boys 
would  make  fun  of  my  looks  ;  and  I  should  n't 
blame  them." 


194      POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF. 

"Appear  as  the  Veiled  Lady,"  suggested 
Margery,  as  Mrs.  Winship  went  out. 

"  I  won't  come,  and  that 's  the  end  of  it/' 
said  Laura.  "  Perhaps  if  I  bathe  my  face  all 
the  morning  I  can  come  to  dinner." 

After  breakfast  was  cleared  away,  Hop  Yet  and 
Mrs.  Howard's  little  China  boy  Gin  were  given 
a  half  holiday,  and  allowed  to  go  to  a  neighbor 
ing  ranch  to  see  a  "  fiend  "  of  Hop  Yet's ;  for 
it  was  a  part  of  the  birthday  scheme  that  Bell 
and  Geoffrey  should  cook  the  festival  dinner. 

Jack  was  so  delighted  at  the  failure  of  Polly's 
scheme  to  sew  him  in  his  tent  that  he  simply 
radiated  amiability,  and  spent  the  whole  morn 
ing  helping  Elsie  and  Margery  with  a  set  of 
elaborate  dinner-cards,  executed  on  half  sheets 
of  note-paper. 

The  dinner  itself  was  a  grand  success.  Half 
of  the  cards  bore  a  caricature  of  Polly  in  the 
shape  of  a  parrot,  with  the  inscription  "  Polly 
want  a  cracker  ?  "  The  rest  were  adorned  with 
pretty  sketches  of  her  in  her  camping-dress,  a 
kettle  in  one  hand,  and  underneath, 

"  Polly  put  the  kettle  on, 
We  '11  all  have  tea." 

This  was  the  bill  of  fare  arranged  by  Bell 
and  Geoffrey,  and  written  on  the  reverse  side 
of  the  dinner-cards  :  — 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF.       195 

DINNER   \  LA  MOTHER  GOOSE. 

CAMP  CHAPARRAL. 

August  15,  18 — . 

"  Come  with  a  whoop,  come  with  a  call  ; 
Come  with  a  good  will,  or  not  at  all." 

"VICTUALS  AND  DRINK." 

BEAN  SOUP. 
"  She  gave  them  some  broth,  she  gave  them  some  bread." 

SALT  CODFISH. 
"  You  shall  have  a  fishy 
In  a  little  dishy." 

ROAST  MUTTON  X  LA  VENISON. 
"  Dear  sensibility,  O  la  ! 
I  heard  a  little  lamb  cry  ba-a  ! " 

POTATOES  IN  JACKETS. 

"  The  butcher,  the  baker,  the  candlestick  maker, 
All  jumped  out  of  a  roasted  potato." 

STEWED  BEANS. 
"  You,  nor  I,  nor  nobody  knows, 
Where  oats,  peas,  beans,  and  barley  grows." 

CHICKEN  AND  BEEF  SANDWICHES. 
"  Hickety,  pickety,  my  pretty  hen 
Laid  good  eggs  for  gentlemen." 
"  Taffy  was  a  Welshman,  Taffy  was  a  thief, 
Taffy  came  to  my  house  and  stole  a  piece  of  beef." 

LEMON  PIE. 
"  A  pie  sat  on  a  pear-tree." 

PLUM  TARTS. 

"  The  Queen  of  Hearts,  she  made  some  tarts, 
All  on  a  summer's  day." 


196       POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF. 

FRUIT,  NUTS,  AND  RAISINS. 
"  You  shall  have  an  apple, 
You  shall  have  a  plum." 
"  I  had  a  little  nut-tree,  nothing  would  it  bear 
But  a  silver  nutmeg  and  a  golden  pear." 

BREAD  AND  CHEESE. 
"  When  I  was  a  bachelor  I  lived  by  myself, 
And  all  the  bread  and  cheese  I  got  I  put  upon  the  shelf." 

COFFEE  AND  LEMONADE. 
"  One,  two,  three,  how  good  you  be  ! 

I  love  coffee  and  Billy  loves  tea." 
"  Oranges  and  lemons, 

Says  the  bell  of  St.  Clemen's." 

«  What  they  ate  I  can't  tell, 
But  't  is  known  very  well 
That  none  of  the  party  grew  fat." 

Bell  and  Geoff  took  turns  at  "  dishing  up  "  in 
the  kitchen,  and  sat  down  at  the  table  between 
whiles ;  and  they  barely  escaped  being  mobbed 
when  they  omitted  one  or  two  dishes  on  the  pro 
gramme,  and  confessed  that  they  had  been  put 
on  principally  for  the  "  style  "  of  the  thing,  — 
a  very  poor  excuse  to  a  company  of  people  who 
have  made  up  their  mouths  for  all  the  delicacies 
of  the  season. 

Jack  was  head  waiter,  and  having  donned  a 
clean  white  blouse  of  Hop  Yet's  and  his  best 
cap  with  the  red  button,  from  which  dangled 
a  hastily  improvised  queue  of  black  worsted, 
he  proceeded  to  convulse  everybody  with  his 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF.       197 

Mongolian  antics.  These  consisted  of  most  in 
formal  remarks  in  clever  pigeon  English,  and 
snatches  of  Chinese  melody,  rendered  from 
time  to  time  as  he  carried  dishes  into  the 
kitchen.  Elsie  laughed  until  she  cried,  and 
Laura  sat  in  the  shadiest  corner,  her  head 
artistically  swathed  in  white  tarlatan. 

Polly  occupied  the  seat  of  honor  at  the  end 
of  the  table  opposite  Dr.  Winship,  and  was 
happier  than  a  queen.  She  wore  her  new  green 
cambric,  with  a  bunch  of  leaves  at  her  belt. 
She  was  sunburned,  but  the  freckles  seemed 
to  have  disappeared  mysteriously  from  her  nose, 
and  almost  any  one  would  have  admired  the 
rosy  skin,  the  dancing  eyes,  and  the  graceful 
little  auburn  head,  "  sunning  over  with  curls." 

When  the  last  bit  of  dessert  had  been  dis 
posed  of,  and  Dicky  had  gone  to  sleep  in  his 
mother's  lap,  like  an  infant  boa-constrictor  after 
a  hearty  meal,  the  presentation  of  gifts  and 
reading  of  poems  took  place ;  and  Polly  had  to 
be  on  the  alert  to  answer  all  the  nonsensical 
jokes  that  were  aimed  at  her. 

Finally,  Bell  crowned  the  occasion  by  pro 
ducing  a  song  of  Miss  Mulock's,  which  had 
come  in  the  morning  mail  from  some  girl  friend 
of  Polly's  in  the  East,  who  had  discovered  that 
Polly's  name  had  appeared  in  poetry  and  song 


198       POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF. 

without  her  knowledge,  and  who  thought  she 
might  be  interested  to  hear  the  composition. 
With  the  aid  of  Bell's  guitar  and  Jack's  banjo, 
the  girls  and  boys  soon  caught  the  pretty  air, 
and  sung  it  in  chorus. 


1.  Pret-ty  Pol-ly      Ol-  i-ver, will     you    be   my  own? 

2.  Pret-ty  Pol-ly      Ol-  i-ver,    I       love  you   so    dear! 

3.  Pret-ty  Pol-ly      Ol-  i-ver,  I'll     bid  you  good  bye: 


Pret  -  ty  Pol  -  ly  Ol  -  i  -  ver,  as  cold  as  a 
Pret  -  ty  Pol  -  ly  Ol  -  i  -  ver,  my  hope  and  my 
Pret  -  ty  Pol  -  ly  Ol  -  i  -  ver,  for  you  I'll  not 


stone ;  But  my  love  has  grown  warm-er  as 
fear;  I've  wait  -  ed  for  you,  sweet -heart,  this 
die;  You'll  nev  -  er  get  a  tru  -  er  true 


cold  -   er    you've  grown,  O       Pret  -  ty      Pol  -  ly 

many       a     long     year;   For     Pret  -  ty       Pol  -  ly 

lov   -    er     than      I,        So      Pret  -  ty      Pol  -  ly 


Ol  -  i  -  ver,  will  you  be  my  own? 
Ol  -  i  -  ver,  I've  loved  you  so  dear! 
Ol  -  i  -  ver,  good  -  bye,  love,  good  -bye! 

At  the  end,  Dr.  Winship  raised  his  glass  of 
lemonade,  and  proposed  to  drink  Miss  Oliver's 
health.  This  was  done  with  enthusiasm,  and 
Geoffrey  immediately  cried,  "  Speech,  speech !  " 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF.       199 

"  I  can't/'  said  Polly,  blushing  furiously. 

"  Speech ! "  sung  Jack  and  Philip  vocif 
erously,  pounding  on  the  table  with  knife- 
handles  to  increase  the  furore. 

"  Speech !  "  demanded  the  genial  doctor, 
going  over  to  the  majority,  and  smiling  encour 
agingly  at  Polly,  who  was  pushed  to  her  feet 
before  she  knew  very  well  what  she  was  doing. 
"  Oh,  if  Laura  were  not  looking  at  me,"  she 
thought,  "  I  'd  just  like  to  speak  right  out,  and 
tell  them  a  little  bit  of  what  is  in  my  heart.  I 
don't  care  —  I  will !  " 

"  I  know  you  are  all  in  fun,"  she  said,  look 
ing  bravely  into  the  good  doctor's  eyes,  "  and 
of  course  no  one  could  make  a  proper  speech 
with  Jack  grinning  like  a  Cheshire  cat,  but  I 
can't  help  telling  you  that  this  is  the  happiest 
summer  and  the  happiest  birthday  of  my  whole 
life,  and  that  I  scarcely  remember  nowadays 
that  I  have  no  father  and  no  brothers  and 
sisters,  for  I  have  never  been  alone  or  unhappy 
since  you  took  me  in  among  you  and  Bell 
chose  me  for  her  friend;  and  I  think  that  if 
you  knew  how  grateful  I  am  for  my  beautiful 
summer,  dear  Dr.  Paul  and  aunt  Truth,  you 
would  be  glad  that  you  gave  it  to  me,  and  I 
love  you  all,  dearly,  dearly,  dearly  !  "  Where 
upon  the  impulsive  little  creature  finished  her 


200       POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF. 

maiden  speech  by  dashing  round  the  table  and 
giving  Mrs.  Winship  one  of  her  "  bear  hugs/' 
at  which  everybody  laughed  and  rose  from  the 
table. 

Laura  Burton,  who  was  thoroughly  out  of 
conceit  with  the  world,  and  who  was  never 
quite  happy  when  other  people  seemed  for  the 
moment  to  be  preferred  to  herself,  thought 
this  burst  of  affection  decidedly  theatrical,  but 
she  did  not  know  of  any  one  to  whom  she 
could  confide  her  opinions  just  then ;  indeed, 
she  felt  too  depressed  and  out  of  sorts  to  join 
in  the  general  hilarity. 

Dinner  being  over,  Dr.  Paul  and  the  boys 
took  the  children  and  sauntered  up  the  canon 
for  a  lazy  afternoon  with  their  books.  Elsie 
went  to  sleep  in  the  new  hammock  that  the 
doctor  had  hung  in  the  sycamores  back  of 
the  girls'  sleeping-tent,  and  Mrs.  Winship  lay 
down  for  her  afternoon  nap.  Pancho  saddled 
the  horses  for  Bell  and  Margery,  who  went  for 
a  gallop.  Polly  climbed  into  the  sky-parlor  to 
write  a  long  letter  to  her  mother,  and  Laura 
was  left  to  solitude  in  the  sleeping-tent.  Now 
everybody  knows  that  a  tent  at  midday  is  not 
a  particularly  pleasant  spot,  and  after  many 
a  groan  at  the  glare  of  the  sun,  which  could 
not  be  tempered  by  any  system  of  shawls,  and 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF.       201 

moans  at  the  gopher-holes  which  she  discov 
ered  while  searching  for  her  ear-ring,  and  re 
peated  consultations  with  the  hand-glass  at 
brief  intervals,  during  which  she  convinced 
herself  that  she  looked  worse  every  minute, 
she  finally  discovered  a  series  of  alarming  new 
spots  on  her  neck  and  chin.  She  felt  then 
that  camping  out  was  a  complete  failure,  and 
that  she  would  be  taken  home  forthwith  if  it 
could  be  managed,  since  she  saw  nothing  before 
her  but  day  after  day  of  close  confinement  and 
unattractive  personal  appearance.  "  It 's  just 
my  luck  !  "  she  grumbled,  as  she  twisted  up 
her  hair  and  made  herself  as  presentable  as 
possible  under  the  trying  circumstances.  "  I 
don't  think  I  ever  had  a  becoming  or  an  in 
teresting  illness.  The  chicken-pox,  mumps,  and 
sties  on  my  eyes,  —  that 's  the  sort  of  thing  I 
have ! " 

"  I  feel  much  worse,  Mrs.  Winship,"  she  said, 
going  into  the  sitting-room  tent  and  waking 
aunt  Truth  from  a  peaceful  snooze.  "  If  you 
can  spare  Pancho  over  night,  I  really  think  I 
must  trouble  you  to  send  Anne  and  me  home 
at  once.  I  feel  as  if  I  wanted  to  go  to  bed  in  a 
dark  room,  and  I  shall  only  be  a  bother  if  I 
stay." 

"  Why,  my  child,  I  'm  sorry  to  have  you  go 


202       POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  FIRST  HALF. 

off  with  your  visit  unfinished.  You  know  we 
don't  mind  any  amount  of  trouble,  if  we  can 
make  you  comfortable." 

"  You  are  very  kind,  but  indeed  I  'd  rather 
go." 

"  I  hardly  dare  let  you  start  in  the  hot  sun 
without  consulting  the  doctor,  and  everybody 
is  away  except  Polly ;  they  will  feel  badly  not 
to  say  good-by." 

66  It  is  nearly  three  o'clock  now,  so  the  worst 
of  the  sun  is  over,  and  we  shall  be  at  the  ranch 
by  eight  this  evening.  I  feel  too  ill  to  say 
good-by,  any  way,  and  we  shall  meet  Bell  and 
Margery  somewhere  on  the  road,  for  they  were 
going  to  the  milk  ranch." 

"  Very  well,  my  dear,  if  you  've  made  up  your 
mind  I  must  yield,"  replied  Mrs.  Winship,  get 
ting  up  and  smoothing  her  hair.  "  I  don't 
dare  wake  Elsie,  she  has  had  such  an  exciting 
day ;  but  I  '11  call  Polly  to  help  you  pack,  and 
then  tell  Pancho  to  find  Anne  and  harness  the 
team.  While  he  is  doing  that,  I  '11  get  you  a 
little  lunch  to  take  with  you  and  write  a  note 
to  your  mother.  Perhaps  you  can  come  again 
before  we  break  camp,  but  I  'm  sorry  to  send 
you  home  in  such  a  sad  plight." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY  :    SECOND  HALF. 

IN  WHICH   SHE   WISHES   SHE   HAD   NEVER  BEEN  BOBN. 

"  From  Hebrew  wit  the  maxim  sprung, 
Though  feet  should  slip,  ne'er  let  the  tongue." 

POLLY  came  at  once  to  the  tent,  where  she 
found   Laura   getting   her  belongings  to 
gether. 

"  Why,  Laura,  it  seems  too  bad  you  should 
go  off  so  suddenly.  What  can  I  do  to  help 
you?" 

The  very  spirit  of  evil  entered  Laura's  heart 
as  she  looked  at  Polly,  so  fresh  and  pretty  and 
radiant,  with  her  dimples  dancing  in  and  out, 


204    POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 

her  hair  ruffled  with  the  effort  of  literary  com 
position,  and  the  glow  of  the  day's  happiness 
still  shining  in  her  eyes.  She  felt  as  if  Polly 
was  "  glad  inside  "  that  she  was  poisoned ;  she 
felt  sure  she  was  internally  jumping  for  joy  at 
her  departure ;  and  above  all,  she  felt  that 
Polly  was  entirely  too  conceited  over  the  atten 
tion  she  had  received  that  day,  and  needed  to 
be  "  taken  down  a  peg  or  two."  "  Red-haired, 
stuck-up,  saucy  thing,"  she  thought,  "  how  I 
should  like  to  give  her  a  piece  of  my  mind  be 
fore  I  leave  this  place,  if  I  only  dared !  "  "I 
don't  need  any  help,  thank  you,"  she  said  aloud, 
in  her  iciest  manner. 

"  But  it  will  only  make  your  head  ache  to 
bend  over  and  tug  away  at  that  valise,  and  I  '11 
be  only  too  glad  to  do  it." 

"  I  've  no  doubt  of  that,"  responded  Laura, 
meaningly.  "  It  is  useless  for  you  to  make 
any  show  of  regret  over  my  going,  for  I  know 
perfectly  well  that  you  are  glad  to  get  me  out 
of  the  way." 

"  Why,  Laura,  what  do  you  mean  ? "  ex 
claimed  Polly,  completely  dazed  at  this  bomb 
shell  of  candor. 

66 1  mean  what  I  say ;  and  I  should  have  said 
it  before  if  I  could  ever  have  found  a  chance. 
Because  I  did  n't  mention  it  at  the  time,  you 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    205 

need  n't  suppose  I  've  forgotten  your  getting 
me  into  trouble  with  Mrs.  Winship,  the  day  be 
fore  the  Howards  came." 

"  That  was  not  my  fault/'  said  Polly,  hotly. 
"I  didn't  speak  any  louder  than  the  other 
girls,  and  I  did  n't  know  aunt  Truth  objected 
to  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  and  I  did  n't  know  she  was 
anywhere  near." 

"  You  roared  like  the  bull  of  Bashan,  —  that 's 
what  you  did.  Perhaps  you  can't  help  your 
voice,  but  anybody  in  the  canon  could  have 
heard  you  ;  and  Mrs.  Winship  has  n't  been  the 
same  to  me  since,  and  the  boys  don't  take  the 
slightest  notice  of  me  lately." 

"  You  are  entirely  mistaken,  Laura.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Winship  are  just  as  lovely  and  cordial  to 
you  as  they  are  to  everybody  else,  and  the  boys 
do  not  feel  weh1  enough  acquainted  with  you  to 
6  frolic '  with  you  as  they  do  with  us." 

"  It  is  n't  so,  but  you  are  not  sensitive 
enough  to  see  it ;  and  I  should  never  have 
been  poisoned  if  it  had  n't  been  for  you ! " 

"  Oh,  go  on,  do !  "  said  Polly,  beginning  to 
lose  her  self-control,  which  was  never  very  great. 
"  I  did  n't  know  I  was  a  Lucrezia  Borgia  in 
disguise.  How  did  I  poison  you,  pray  ?  " 

"  I  did  n't  say  you  poisoned  me ;  but  you  made 
me  so  uncomfortable  that  day,  bringing  down 


206    POLLY'S    BIRTHDAY :  SECOND  HALF. 

Mrs.  Winship's  lecture  on  my  head  and  getting 
my  best  friend  abused,  that  I  was  glad  to  get 
away  from  the  camp,  and  went  out  with  Jack 
for  that  reason  when  I  was  too  tired  and  warm ; 
and  you  are  always  trying  to  cut  me  out  with 
Bell  and  the  boys." 

"That's  a  perfectly  —  jet  black— fib!" 
cried  Polly,  who  was  now  thoroughly  angry; 
"  and  I  don't  think  it  is  very  polite  of  you  to 
attack  the  whole  party,  and  say  they  have  n't 
been  nice  to  you,  when  they  've  done  everything 
in  the  world  !  " 

"  It  is  n't  your  party  any  more  than  mine, 
is  it  ?  And  if  I  don't  know  how  to  be  polite, 
I  certainly  sha'n't  ask  you  for  instruction ;  for 
I  must  know  as  much  about  the  manners  of 
good  society  as  you  do,  inasmuch  as  I  have 
certainly  seen  more  of  it !  " 

Polly  sank  into  a  camp-chair,  too  stunned 
for  a  moment  to  reply,  while  Laura,  who  had 
gone  quite  beyond  the  point  where  she  knew 
or  cared  what  she  said,  went  on  with  a  rush 
of  words :  "  I  mean  to  tell  you,  now  that  I  am 
started,  that  anybody  who  is  n't  blind  can  see 
why  you  toady  to  the  Winships,  who  have 
money  and  social  position,  and  why  you  are  so 
anxious  to  keep  everybody  else  from  getting 
into  their  good  graces;  but  they  are  so  par- 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    207 

tial  to  you  that  they  have  given  you  an  entirely 
false  idea  of  yourself ;  and  you  might  as  well 
know  that  unless  you  keep  yourself  a  little  more 
in  the  background,  and  grow  a  little  less  bold 
and  affected  and  independent,  other  people  will 
not  be  quite  as  ready  as  the  Winships  to  make 
a  pet  of  a  girl  whose  mother  keeps  a  boarding- 
house." 

Poor  Laura !  It  was  no  sooner  said  than 
she  regretted  it,  —  a  little,  not  much.  But 
poor  Polly !  Where  was  her  good  angel  then  ? 
Why  could  she  not  have  treated  this  thrust 
with  the  silence  and  contempt  it  deserved? 
But  how  could  Laura  have  detected  and  probed 
the  most  sensitive  spot  in  the  girl's  nature  ? 
She  lost  all  command  of  herself.  Her  rage 
absolutely  frightened  her,  for  it  made  her  deaf 
and  blind  to  all  considerations  of  propriety  and 
self-respect,  and  for  a  moment  she  was  only 
conscious  of  the  wild  desire  to  strike  —  yes, 
even  to  kill  —  the  person  who  had  so  insulted 
all  that  was  dearest  to  her. 

"  Don't  dare  to  say  another  word ! "  she 
panted,  with  Such  flaming  cheeks  and  such 
flashing  eyes  that  Laura  involuntarily  retreated 
towards  the  door,  half  afraid  of  the  tempest  her 
words  had  evoked.  "  Don't  dare  to  say  another 
word,  or  I  don't  know  what  I  may  do !  Yes, 


208    POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 

I  am  glad  you  are  going,  and  everybody  will 
be  glad,  and  the  sooner  you  go  the  better  ! 
You  've  made  everybody  miserable  ever  since 
you  came,  with  your  jealousy  and  your  gossip 
and  your  fine-lady  airs ;  and  if  aunt  Truth 
had  n't  loved  your  mother,  and  if  we  were  mean 
enough  to  tell  tales,  we  would  have  repeated 
some  of  your  disagreeable  speeches  long  ago. 
How  can  you  dare  to  say  I  love  the  Winships 
for  anything  but  themselves  ?  And  if  you  had 
ever  seen  my  darling  mother,  you  never  could 
have  called  her  a  boarding-house  keeper,  you 
cruel "  — 

Oh,  but  the  dashing  torrent  of  angry  words 
stopped  at  the  mere  mention  of  her  mother. 
The  word  recalled  her  to  herself,  but  too  late. 
It  woke  in  her  memory  the  clasp  of  her 
mother's  arms,  the  sound  of  the  sweet,  tired 
voice  :  "  Only  two  of  us  against  the  big  world, 
Polly,  —  you  and  I.  Be  brave,  little  daughter, 
brave  and  patient."  Oh,  how  impatient  and 
cowardly  she  had  been  !  Would  she  never  learn 
to  be  good  ?  The  better  impulses  rushed  back 
into  her  heart,  and  crowded  out  the  bad  ones 
so  quickly  that  in  another  moment  she  would 
have  flung  herself  at  Laura's  feet,  and  im 
plored  her  forgiveness  merely  to  gain  again  her 
own  self-respect  and  her  mother's  approval  ;  but 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    209 

there  was  no  time  for  repentance  (there  is  n't, 
sometimes),,  for  the  clatter  of  wheels  announced 
Pancho's  approach  with  the  team,  and  Mrs. 
Winship  and  Anne  Burton  came  into  view, 
walking  rapidly  towards  the  tent. 

Laura  was  a  good  deal  disconcerted  at  their 
ill-timed  appearance,  but  reflected  rapidly  that 
if  Mrs.  Winship  had  overheard  anything,  it 
was  probably  Polly's  last  speech,  in  which  case 
that  young  person  would  seem  to  be  more  in 
fault  than  herself,  so  stepping  out  of  the  tent 
she  met  Mrs.  Winship  and  kissed  her  good-by. 

Little  Anne  ran  on  and  jumped  into  the 
wagon,  with  all  a  child's  joy  at  the  prospect  of 
going  anywhere.  Polly's  back  was  turned,  but 
she  could  not  disappear  entirely  within  the 
tent  without  causing  Mrs.  Winship  surprise ; 
and  she  went  through  a  lifetime  of  misery  and 
self-reproach  in  that  minute  of  shame  and  fear, 
when  she  dared  neither  to  advance  nor  retreat. 

"I  don't  quite  like  to  let  you  go  alone, 
Laura,  without  consulting  the  doctor,  and  I 
can't  find  him,"  said  Mrs.  Winship.  "  Why, 
you  are  nervous  and  trembling  !  Had  n't  you 
better  wait  until  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  No,  thank  you,  Mrs.  Winship.  I  am  all 
ready  now,  and  would  prefer  to  go.  I  think 
perhaps  I  have  stayed  quite  long  enough,  as 


210    POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 

Polly  has  just  told  me  that  everybody  is  glad 
to  see  the  last  of  me,  and  that  I  've  made  you 
all  miserable  since  I  came." 

This  was  the  climax  to  Polly's  misery ;  for 
she  was  already  so  overcome  by  the  thought 
of  her  rudeness  that  she  was  on  the  point  of 
begging  Laura's  pardon  for  that  particular 
speech  then  and  there,  and  she  had  only  to 
hear  her  exact  words  repeated  to  feel  how  they 
would  sound  in  Mrs.  Winship's  ears. 

Mrs.  Winship  was  so  entirely  taken  aback 
by  Laura's  remark,  that  she  could  only  ejac 
ulate,  "  Polly  —  said  —  that  !  What  do  you 
mean?" 

"  Oh,  I  am  quite  ready  to  think  she  said 
more  than  she  intended,  but  those  were  her 
words." 

"Polly!" 

Polly  turned.  Alas!  it  was  plain  enough 
that  this  was  no  false  accusation.  Her  down 
cast  eyes,  flushed,  tear-stained  cheeks,  quiver 
ing  lips,  and  the  silent  shame  of  her  whole 
figure  spoke  too  clearly. 

"  Can  it  be  possible,  Polly,  that  you  spoke  in 
such  a  way  to  a  guest  who  was  about  to  leave 
my  house  ?  " 

"Yes." 

The  word  was  wrung  from  Polly's  trembling 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    211 

lips.  What  could  she  say  but  "  Yes/'  —  it  was 
true,  —  and  how  could  she  repeat  the  taunts 
that  had  provoked  her  to  retort  ?  They  were 
not  a  sufficient  excuse  ;  and  for  that  matter, 
nothing  could  be  a  sufficient  excuse  for  her  lan 
guage.  Now  that  she  was  confronted  with  her 
own  fault,  Laura's  seemed  so  small  beside  it  that 
she  would  have  been  ashamed  to  offer  it  as  any 
justification. 

Mrs.  Winship  grew  pale,  and  for  a  moment 
was  quite  at  a  loss  as  to  the  treatment  of  such 
a  situation. 

"Don't  say  any  more  about  it,  Mrs.  Win- 
ship,"  said  Laura;  "we  were  both  angry,  or 
we  should  never  have  forgotten  ourselves,  and 
I  shall  think  no  more  of  it."  Laura  spoke 
with  such  an  air  of  modest  virtue,  and  seemed 
so  ready  to  forgive  and  forget,  that  Polly  in 
her  silence  and  confusion  appeared  worse  than 
ever. 

"But  I  want  you  to  remember  that  you  are 
my  guest,  not  Pauline's ;  that  I  asked  you  to 
come  and  ask  you  to  remain.  I  cannot  allow 
you  to  go  simply  because  you  do  not  chance 
to  be  a  favorite  with  another  of  my  guests." 
(Oh  !  the  pang  these  words  gave  Polly's  faulty, 
tender  little  heart !) 

"I  am  only  going  because  I  feel  so  ill, — 


212    POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 

not  a  bit  because  of  what  Polly  said ;  I  was 
in  the  wrong  too,  perhaps,  but  I  promise  not  to 
let  anybody  nor  anything  make  me  quarrel 
when  I  visit  you  again.  Good-by !  "  and  Laura 
stepped  into  the  wagon. 

"  I  trust  you  will  not  mention  this  to  your 
mother,  since  I  hope  it  is  the  only  unpleasant 
incident  of  your  visit;  and  it  is  no  fault  of 
mine  that  you  go  away  with  an  unhappy  im 
pression  of  our  hospitality."  Here  Mrs.  Win- 
ship  reached  up  and  kissed  little  Anne,  and  as 
the  horses  were  restive,  and  no  one  seemed  to 
have  anything  further  to  say,  Pancho  drove  off. 

"  I  don't  care  to  talk  with  you  any  more  at 
present,  Polly,"  said  Mrs.  Winship.  "  I  am  too 
hurt  and  too  indignant,  to  speak  of  your  con 
duct  quietly.  I  know  the  struggles  you  have 
with  your  temper,  and  I  am  quite  willing  to 
sympathize  with  you  even  when  you  do  not 
come  off  victorious  ;  but  this  is  something 
quite  different.  I  can't  conceive  how  any 
amount  of  provocation  or  dislike  could  have  led 
you  into  such  disloyalty  to  me ;  "  and  with  this 
she  walked  away. 

Polly  staggered  into  a  little  play-room  tent 
of  Dicky's,  where  she  knew  that  she  could  be 
alone,  pinned  the  curtains  together  so  that  no 
one  could  peep  in,  and  threw  herself  down  upon 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    213 

the  long  cushioned  seat  where  Dicky  was 
wont  to  take  his  afternoon  nap.  There,  in 
grief  and  despair,  she  sobbed  the  afternoon 
through,  dreading  to  be  disturbed  and  dread 
ing  to  be  questioned. 

"  My  beautiful  birthday  spoiled,"  she  moaned, 
"  and  all  my  own  fault !  I  was  so  happy  this 
morning,  but  now  was  ever  anybody  so  miser 
able  as  I !  And  even  if  I  tell  aunt  Truth  what 
Laura  said,  she  will  think  it  no  excuse,  and  it 
isn't!" 

As  it  neared  supper-time  she  made  an  open 
ing  in  the  back  of  the  tent,  and  after  long 
watching  caught  sight  of  Gin  on  his  way  to 
the  brook  for  water,  signaled  him,  and  gave 
him  this  despairing  little  note  for  Mrs.  Win- 
ship. 

DEAR  AUNT  TRUTH,  —  I  don't  ask  you  to 
forgive  me,  —  I  don't  deserve  to  be  forgiven,  — 
but  I  ask  you  to  do  me  just  one  more  of  your 
dear  little  kindnesses.  Let  me  stay  alone  in 
Dicky's  tent  till  morning,  and  please  don't  let 
any  one  come  near  me.  You  can  tell  every 
body  the  whole  story  to-night,  if  you  think  best, 
though  I  should  be  glad  if  only  Dr.  Paul  and 
Bell  need  know ;  but  I  do  not  mind  anything 
after  displeasing  you,  —  nothing  can  be  so  bad 


214    POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 

as  that.  Perhaps  you  think  I  ought  to  come 
out  and  confess  it  to  them  myself,  as  a  pun 
ishment;  but  oh/ aunt  Truth,  I  am  punishing 
myself  in  here  alone  worse  than  any  one  else 
can  do  it.  I  will  go  back  to  Santa  Barbara 
any  time  that  you  can  send  me  to  the  stage 
station,  and  I  will  never  ask  you  to  love  me 
again  until  I  have  learned  how  to  control  my 
temper.  Your  wretched,  wretched 

POLLY. 

P.  S.  I  remember  that  it  is  my  birthday, 
and  all  that  you  have  done  for  me,  to-day 
and  all  the  other  days.  It  looks  as  if  I  were 
ungrateful,  but  in  spite  of  what  I  did  I  am  not. 
The  words  just  blazed  out,  and  I  never  knew 
that  they  were  going  to  be  said  till  I  heard 
them  falling  from  my  mouth.  It  seems  to  me 
that  if  I  ever  atone  for  this  I  will  have  a  slate 
and  pencil  hanging  to  my  belt,  and  only  write 
what  I  have  to  say.  POLLY. 

The  moisture  came  to  Mrs.  Winship's  eyes 
as  she  read  this  tear-stained  little  note. 
"  There  's  something  here  I  don't  quite  under 
stand,"  she  thought ;  "  and  yet  Polly  confessed 
that  Laura  told  the  truth.  Poor  child!  —  but 
she  has  got  to  learn  patience  and  self-control 
through  suffering.  However,  I  '11  keep  the 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  'SECOND  HALF.     215 

matter  a  secret  from  everybody  at  present,  and 
stand  between  her  and  my  inquisitive  brood  of 
youngsters/'  and  she  slipped  the  note  into  her 
pocket. 

At  six  o'clock  the  members  of  the  family 
came  into  camp  from  various  directions,  and 
gathered  about  the  supper-table.  All  were 
surprised  at  Laura's  sudden  departure,  but  no 
one  seemed  especially  grief -stricken.  Dicky 
announced  confidentially  to  Philip  that  Laura 
was  a  "norful  'fraid-cat  of  frogs,"  and  Jack 
ventured  the  opinion  that  Miss  Laura  hadn't 
"  boy  "  enough  in  her  for  camp-life. 

"But  where  is  Polly?"  asked  Bell,  looking 
round  the  table,  as  she  pinned  up  her  riding- 
skirt  and  sat  down  in  her  usual  seat. 

"  She  has  a  bad  headache,  and  is  lying 
down,"  said  Mrs.  Winship  quietly  ;  "  she  '11  be 
all  right  in  the  morning." 

"  Headache  !  "  ejaculated  four  or  five  people 
at  once,  dropping  their  napkins  and  looking  at 
each  other  in  dismay. 

"  I  '11  go  and  rub  her  head  with  cologne," 
said  Margery. 

"  Let  me  go  and  sit  with  her,"  said  Elsie. 

"  Have  you  been  teasing  her,  Jack  ?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Howard. 

"Too   much  birthday?"   asked  Dr.   Paul. 


216     POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 

"  Tell  her  we  can  spare  almost  anybody  else 
better." 

"  Bless  the  child,  she  wants  me  if  she  is  sick. 
Go  on  with  your  suppers,  I  '11  see  to  her/'  and 
Bell  rose  from  the  table. 

"  No,  my  dear,  I  want  you  all  to  leave  her 
alone  at  present,"  said  Mrs.  Winship,  decidedly. 
"  I  Ve  put  her  to  bed  in  Dicky's  play-tent,  and 
I  want  her  to  be  quiet.  Gin  has  taken  her 
some  supper,  and  she  needs  rest." 

Polly  Oliver  in  need  of  rest !  What  an  in 
comprehensible  statement !  Nobody  was  satis 
fied,  but  there  was  nothing  more  to  be  said, 
though  Bell  and  Philip  exchanged  glances  as 
much  as  to  say,  "  Something  is  wrong." 

Supper  ended,  and  they  gathered  round  the 
camp-fire,  but  nothing  was  quite  as  usual.  It 
was  all  very  well  to  crack  jokes,  but  where 
was  a  certain  merry  laugh  that  was  wont  to 
ring  out,  at  the  smallest  provocation,  in  such 
an  infectious  way  that  everybody  else  followed 
suit?  And  who  was  there,  when  Polly  had 
the  headache,  to  make  a  saucy  speech  and  look 
down  into  the  fire  innocently,  while  her  dimples 
did  everything  that  was  required  in  order  to 
point  the  shaft  ?  And  pray  what  was  the  use  of 
singing  when  there  was  no  alto  to  Bell's  treble, 
or  of  giving  conundrums,  since  it  was  always 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    217 

Polly  who  thought  of  nonsensical  answers  bet 
ter  than  the  real  ones  ?  And  as  for  Jack,  why, 
it  was  folly  to  shoot  arrows  of  wit  into  the 
air  when  there  was  no  target.  He  simply 
stretched  himself  out  beside  Elsie,  who  was 
particularly  quiet  and  snoozed  peacefully,  with 
out  taking  any  part  in  the  conversation,  avow 
ing  his  intention  to  "  turn  in  "  early.  "  Turn 
in "  early,  forsooth  !  What  was  the  matter 
with  the  boy? 

"  It 's  no  use,"  said  Bell,  plaintively,  "  we 
can't  be  anything  but  happy,  now  that  we 
have  Elsie  here ;  but  it  needs  only  one  small 
headache  to  show  that  Polly  fills  a  long-felt 
want  in  this  camp.  You  think  of  her  as  a 
modest  spoke  in  the  wheel  till  she  disappears, 
and  then  you  find  she  was  the  hub." 

"  Yes,"  said  Margery,  "  I  think  every  one 
round  this  fire  is  simply  angelic,  unless  I  except 
Jack,  but  the  fact  is  that  Polly  is  —  well,  she 
is  —  Polly,  and  I  dare  any  one  to  contradict 


me." 


"  The  judgment  of  the  court  is  confirmed," 
said  Philip. 

"  And  the  shark  said,  « If  you 
Don't  believe  it  is  true, 
Just  look  at  my  wisdom  tooth  ! '  " 

sang  Geoffrey. 


218    POLLTS  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 

"  And  if  any  one  ever  tells  me  again  that  she 
has  red  hair  and  has  n't  good  features,  I  should 
just  like  to  show  them  a  picture  of  her  as  she 
was  to-day  at  the  dinner  table !  "  exclaimed  Bell. 

"  As  if  anybody  needed  features  with  those 
dimples/'  added  Elsie,  "  or  would  mind  red 
hair  when  it  was  such  pretty  hair !  " 

"  I  think  a  report  of  this  conversation  would 
go  far  towards  curing  Polly/'  said  Dr.  Winship, 
with  a  smile. 

"  And  you  say  we  can't  go  in  there  before 
we  go  to  bed,  mamacita  ?  "  whispered  Bell  in 
her  mother's  ear,  as  the  boys  said  good-night 
and  went  towards  their  tent. 

"  My  dear,"  she  answered  decidedly,  with  a 
fond  kiss  for  each  of  the  girls,  "  Polly  herself 
asked  me  to  keep  everybody  away." 

Polly  herself  wanted  to  be  alone !  Would 
wonders  never  cease? 

Meanwhile  Dicky,  who  had  disappeared  for 
a  moment,  came  back  to  the  fire,  his  bosom 
heaving  with  grief  and  rage. 

"  I  went  to  my  play-tent,"  he  sobbed,  "  and 
putted  my  hand  underneath  the  curtain  and 
gave  Polly  a  piece  of  my  supper  cake  I  saved 
for  her  —  not  the  frosted  part,  but  the  burnt 
part  I  could  n't  eat  —  and  she  liked  it  and 
kissed  my  hand  —  and  then  I  fought  she  was 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    219 

lonesome,  and  would  like  to  see  my  littlest  frog, 
and  I  told  her  to  put  out  her  hand  again  for  a 
s'prise,  and  I  squeezed  him  into  it  tight,  so  't 
he  would  n't  jump  —  and  she  fought  it  was 
more  cake,  and  when  she  found  it  was  n't  she 
frew  my  littlest  frog  clear  away,  and  it  got 
losted ! " 

This  brought  a  howl  of  mirth  from  every 
body,  and  Dicky  was  instructed,  while  being 
put  to  bed,  not  to  squeeze  little  frogs  into  peo 
ple's  hands  in  the  dark,  as  it  sometimes  affected 
them  unpleasantly. 

All  this  time  Polly  was  lying  in  the  tent, 
quite  exhausted  with  crying,  and  made  more 
wretched  by  every  sound  of  voices  wafted  to 
wards  her.  Presently  Gin  appeared  with  her 
night  wrapper  and  various  things  for  comfort 
sent  her  by  the  girls ;  and  as  she  wearily  un 
dressed  herself  and  prepared  for  the  night,  she 
found  three  little  messages  of  comfort  pinned 
on  the  neck  and  sleeves  of  her  flannel  gown, 
written  in  such  colossal  letters  that  she  could 
easily  read  them  by  the  moonlight. 

On  the  right  sleeve :  — 

Cheer  up!     "I  will  never  de 
sert  Mr.  Micawber ! "        BELL. 


220    POLLTS  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 
On  the  left  sleeve :  — 

DAELII^G  POLLY,  —  Get  well 
soon,  or  we  shall  all  be  sick  in 
order  to  stay  with  you. 

Lovingly,  MEG. 

P.  8.  Jack  said  you  were  the 
life  of  the  camp!  What  do  you 
think  of  that  H  M. 

On  the  neck :  — 

DEAKEST,  —  You  have  always 
called  me  the  Fairy  Godmother, 
and  pretended  I  could  see  things 
that  other  people  could  n't. 

The  boys  (great  stupids !)  think 
you  have  the  headache.  We  girls 
can  all  see  that  you  are  in  trouble, 
but  only  the  Fairy  Godmother 
knows  why;  and  though  she  can't 
make  a  beautiful  gold  coach  out 
of  this  pumpkin,  because  there  's 
something  wrong  about  the  pump 
kin,  yet  she  will  do  her  best  for 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    221 

Cinderella,  and  pull  her  out   of 
the  ashes  somehow. 

ELSIE. 

Polly's  tears  fell  fast  on  the  dear  little  notes, 
which  she  kissed  again  and  again,  and  tucked 
under  her  pillow  to  bring  her  sleep.  "  Elsie 
knows  something/'  she  thought,  "  but  how  ?  she 
knows  that  I  'm  in  trouble  and  that  I  've  done 
wrong,  or  she  would  n't  have  said  that  about 
not  being  able  to  turn  a  bad  pumpkin  into  a 
beautiful  gold  coach ;  but  perhaps  she  can  get 
aunt  Truth  to  forgive  me  and  try  me  again. 
Unless  she  can  do  it,  it  will  never  come  to  pass, 
for  I  have  n't  the  courage  to  ask  her.  I  would 
rather  run  away  early  in  the  morning  and  go 
home  than  have  her  look  at  me  again  as  she 
did  to-day.  Oh  !  what  shall  I  do  !  "  and  PoUy 
went  down  on  her  knees  beside  the  rough 
couch,  and  sobbed  her  heart  out  in  a  childish 
prayer  for  help  and  comfort.  It  was  just  the 
prayer  of  a  little  child  telling  a  sorrowful  story ; 
because  it  is  when  we  are  alone  and  in  trouble 
that  the  unknown  and  mysterious  God  seems  to 
us  most  like  a  Father,  and  we  throw  ourselves 
into  the  arms  of  his  love  like  helpless  children, 
and  tell  Him  our  secret  thoughts  and  griefs. 

"  Dear    Father    in    heaven,"    she    sobbed, 


222     POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:   SECOND  HALF. 

"  don't  forgive  me  if  I  ought  not  to  be  for 
given,  but  please  make  aunt  Truth  feel  how 
sorry  I  am,  and  show  me  whether  I  ought  to 
tell  what  made  me  so  angry,  though  it 's  no 
excuse.  Bless  and  keep  my  darling  patient 
little  mother,  and  help  me  to  grow  more  like 
her,  and  braver  and  stronger  too,  so  that  I  can 
take  care  of  her  soon,  and  she  need  n't  work 
hard  any  longer.  Please  forgive  me  for  hating 
some  things  in  my  life  as  much  as  I  do,  and  I 
will  try  and  like  them  better ;  but  I  think  — 
yes,  I  know  —  that  I  am  full  of  wicked  pride ; 
and  oh,  it  seems  as  if  I  could  never,  never  get 
over  wanting  to  live  in  a  pretty  house,  and  wear 
pretty  dresses,  and  have  my  mother  live  like 
Bell's  and  Margery's.  And  oh,  if  Thou  canst 
only  forgive  me  for  hating  boarders  so  dread 
fully  and  being  ashamed  of  them  every  minute, 
I  will  try  and  like  them  better  and  tell  every 
body  that  we  take  them,  —  I  will  indeed  ; 
and  if  I  can  only  once  make  aunt  Truth  love 
and  trust  me  again,  I  will  make  the  boarders' 
beds  and  dust  their  rooms  forever  without 
grumbling.  Please,  dear  Father  in  heaven, 
remember  that  I  have  n't  any  father  to  love  me 
or  to  teach  me  to  be  good ;  and  though  mamma 
does  her  best,  please  help  her  to  make  some 
thing  out  of  me  if  it  can  be  done.  Amen." 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    223 

"  Truth/'  said  Mrs.  Howard,  when  all  was 
quiet  about  the  camp,  "  Elsie  wants  to  see  you 
a  moment  before  she  goes  to  sleep.  Will  you 
go  to  her  tent,  while  I  play  a  game  of  cribbage 
with  Dr.  Paul?" 

Elsie  looked  like  a  blossom  in  all  the  beau 
tiful  greenness  of  her  tent,  with  her  yellow  head 
coming  out  from  above  the  greens  and  browns 
of  the  cretonne  bed-cover  for  all  the  world 
like  a  daffodil  pushing  its  way  up  through  the 
mould  towards  the  spring  sunshine. 

"  Aunt  Truth,"  she  said  softly,  as  Mrs.  Win- 
ship  sat  down  beside  her,  "  you  remember  that 
Dr.  Paul  hung  my  hammock  in  a  new  place  to 
day,  just  behind  the  girls'  sleeping-tent.  Now 
I  know  that  Polly  is  in  trouble,  and  that  you 
are  displeased  with  her.  What  I  want  to  ask, 
if  I  may,  is,  how  much  you  know ;  for  I  over 
heard  a  great  deal  myself,  —  enough  to  feel 
that  Polly  deserves  a  hearing." 

"  I  overheard  nothing,"  replied  Mrs.  Win- 
ship.  "  All  that  I  know  Polly  herself  con 
fessed  in  Laura's  presence.  Polly  told  Laura, 
just  as  she  was  going  away,  that  everybody 
would  be  glad  to  see  the  last  of  her,  and  that 
she  had  made  everybody  miserable  from  the 
beginning  of  her  visit.  It  was  quite  inexcus 
able,  you  know,  dear,  for  one  of  my  guests  to 


224    POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:   SECOND  HALF. 

waylay  another,  just  as  she  was  leaving,  and 
make  such  a  cruel  speech.  I  would  rather 
anything  else  had  happened.  I  know  how  im 
petuous  Polly  is,  and  I  can  forgive  the  child 
almost  anything,  her  heart  is  so  full  of  love 
and  generosity ;  but  I  cannot  overlook  such  a 
breach  of  propriety  as  that.  Of  course  I  have 
seen  that  Laura  is  not  a  favorite  with  any  of 
you.  I  confess  she  is  not  a  very  lovable  per 
son,  and  I  think  she  has  led  a  very  unwhole 
some  life  lately  and  is  sadly  spoiled  by  it ;  still, 
that  is  no  excuse  for  Polly's  conduct." 

"  No,  of  course  it  is  n't,"  sighed  Elsie,  with 
a  little  quiver  of  the  lip.  "  I  thought  I  could 
plead  a  better  case  for  Polly,  but  I  see  exactly 
how  thoughtless  and  impolite  she  was ;  yet,  if 
you  knew  everything,  auntie,  dear,  you  would 
feel  a  little  different.  Do  you  think  it  was 
nice  of  Laura  to  repeat  what  Polly  said  right 
before  her,  and  just  as  she  was  going  away, 
when  she  knew  it  would  make  you  uncomfort 
able  and  that  you  were  not  to  blame  for  it  ?  " 

"No,  hardly.  It  did  n't  show  much  tact; 
but  girls  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  are  not  always 
remarkable  for  social  tact.  I  excused  her 
partly  because  she  was  half  sick  and  nervous." 

"  Well,"  Elsie  went  on,  "  I  did  n't  hear  the 
whole  quarrel,  so  that  I  do  not  know  how  long 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    225 

it  lasted  nor  who  began  it.  I  can't  help  think 
ing  it  was  Laura,  though,  for  she's  been  trying 
her  best  to  provoke  Polly  for  the  last  fortnight, 
and  until  to-day  she  has  never  really  succeeded. 
I  was  half  asleep,  and  heard  at  first  only  the 
faint  murmur  of  voices,  but  when  I  was  fully 
awake,  Laura  was  telling  Polly  that  she  doted 
on  you  simply  because  you  had  money  and  po 
sition,  while  she  had  not ;  that  you  were  all  so 
partial  to  her  that  she  had  lost  sight  of  her 
own  deficiencies.  Then  she  called  her  bold  and 
affected,  and  I  don't  know  what  else,  and  finally 
wound  up  by  saying  that  nobody  but  the  Win- 
ships  would  be  likely  to  make  a  pet  of  the 
daughter  of  a  boarding-house  keeper." 

"Elsie!"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Winship;  "  this 
grows  worse  and  worse  !  Is  it  possible  that 
Laura  Burton  could  be  guilty  of  such  a 
thought  ?  " 

"  I  can't  be  mistaken.  I  was  too  excited  not 
to  hear  very  clearly ;  and  the  moment  the  words 
were  spoken  I  knew  my  poor  dear's  fiery  tem 
per  would  never  endure  that.  And  it  did  n't ; 
it  blazed  out  in  a  second,  but  it  did  n't  last 
long,  for  before  I  could  get  to  the  tent  she 
had  stopped  herself  right  in  the  middle  of 
a  sentence;  and  in  another  minute  I  heard 
your  voice,  and  crept  back  to  the  hammock, 


226    POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 

thinking  that  everything  would  be  settled  by 
Laura's  going  away.  I  'd  no  idea  that  she 
would  pounce  on  Polly  and  get  her  in  disgrace, 
the  very  last  thing,  when  she  knew  that  she 
was  responsible  for  the  whole  matter.  You  see, 
auntie,  that,  impolite  as  Polly  was,  she  only  told 
Laura  that  we  girls  were  glad  she  was  going. 
She  did  n't  bring  you  in,  after  all ;  and  Laura 
knew  perfectly  well  that  she  was  a  welcome 
visitor,  and  we  all  treated  her  with  the  greatest 
politeness,  though  it 's  no  use  to  say  we  liked 
her  much." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  the  whole  affair," 
sighed  Mrs.  Winship,  "  there  is  so  much  wrong 
on  both  sides.  Laura's  remark,  it  is  true,  would 
have  angered  almost  anybody  who  was  not  old 
and  wise  enough  to  see  that  it  deserved  only 
contempt ;  but  both  the  girls  should  have  had 
too  much  respect  for  themselves  and  for  me 
to  descend  to  such  an  unladylike  quarrel. 
However,  I  am  only  too  glad  to  hear  anything 
which  makes  Polly's  fault  less,  for  I  love  her 
too  dearly  not  to  suffer  when  I  have  to  be 
severe  with  her." 

"  She  would  n't  ask  you  to  overlook  her 
fault,"  continued  Elsie,  with  tears  in  her  eyes. 
"  I  know  just  how  wretched  and  penitent  she 
must  be,  —  Polly  is  always  so  fierce  against  her 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    227 

own  faults,  —  but  what  must  be  making  her 
suffer  most  is  the  thought  that  she  has  entirely 
lost  your  confidence  and  good  opinion.  Oh,  I 
can't  help  thinking  that  God  feels  sorrier  this 
very  minute  for  Polly,  who  fights  and  fights 
against  her  temper,  like  a  dear  sunbeam  trying 
to  shine  again  and  again  when  a  cloud  keeps 
covering  it  up,  than  He  does  for  Laura,  who 
has  everything  made  smooth  for  her,  and  who 
is  unhappy  when  her  feathers  are  ruffled  the 
least  bit." 

"  You  are  right,  dear,  in  so  far  that  a  fiery 
little  soul  like  Polly's  can,  if  it  finds  the  right 
channels,  do  God's  work  in  the  world  better 
than  a  character  like  Laura's,  which  is  not 
courageous,  nor  strong,  nor  sweet  enough  for 
great  service,  unless  it  grows  into  better  things 
through  bitter  or  rich  experiences.  Now, 
good-night,  my  blessed  little  peacemaker ;  sleep 
sweetly,  for  I  am  going  into  Polly's  tent  to 
have  a  good  talk  with  her." 

As  Mrs.  Winship  dropped  the  curtains  of 
Elsie's  tent  behind  her,  and  made  her  way 
quietly  through  the  trees,  the  tinkling  sound 
of  a  banjo  fell  upon  the  still  night  air ;  and 
presently,  as  she  neared  Polly's  retreat,  this 
facetious  serenade,  sung  by  Jack's  well-known 
voice,  was  wafted  to  her  ears :  — 


228    POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 

"  Prithee,  Polly  Oliver,  why  bide  ye  so  still  ? 
Pretty  Polly  Oliver,  we  fear  you  are  ill. 
I  'm  singing  'neath  thy  window,  when  night  dews  are 

chill, 
For,  pretty  Polly  Oliver,  we  hear  you  are  ill." 

She  was  about  to  dispatch  Master  Jack  to 
his  tent  with  a  round  scolding,  when  the  last 
words  of  the  song  were  frozen  on  his  lips  by 
the  sound  of  a  smothered  sob,  in  place  of  the 
saucy  retort  he  hoped  to  provoke.  The  unex 
pected  sob  frightened  him  more  than  any  f usi- 
lade  of  hot  words,  and  he  stole  away  in  the 
darkness  more  crestfallen  than  he  had  been  for 
many  a  year. 

Mrs.  Winship,  more  troubled  than  ever, 
pulled  apart  the  canvas  curtains,  and  stood  in 
the  opening,  silently.  The  sight  of  the  forlorn 
little  figure,  huddled  together  on  the  straw  bed, 
touched  her  heart,  and,  when  Polly  started  up 
with  an  eloquent  cry  and  flew  into  her  extended 
arms,  she  granted  willing  forgiveness,  and  the 
history  of  the  afternoon  was  sobbed  out  upon 
her  motherly  shoulder. 

The  next  morning  Mrs.  Winship  announced 
that  Polly  was  better,  sent  breakfast  to  her  tent, 
and  by  skillful  generalship  drove  everybody 
away  from  the  camp  but  Elsie,  who  brought 
Polly  to  the  sitting-room,  made  her  comfortable 
on  the  lounge,  and,  administering  much  good 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF.    229 

advice  to  Margery  and  Bell  concerning  topics 
to  be  avoided,  admitted  them  one  by  one  into 
her  presence,  so  that  she  gradually  regained  her 
self-control.  And  at  the  dinner  table  a  very 
pale  Polly  was  present  again,  with  such  a 
white  face  and  heavy  eyes  that  no  one  could 
doubt  there  had  been  a  headache,  while  two 
people,  at  least,  knew  that  there  had  been  a 
heartache  as  well.  The  next  day's  mail  car 
ried  the  following  letter  to  Laura  Burton  :  — 

CAMP  CHAPARRAL,  August  16,  188 — . 

MY  DEAR  LAURA,  —  As  I  told  you  when 
you  were  leaving,  I  cannot  well  say  how  sorry 
I  am  that  anything  should  have  occurred  to 
mar  your  pleasant  remembrance  of  your  stay 
with  us.  That  your  dear  mother's  daughter 
should  have  been  treated  with  discourtesy  while 
she  was  my  guest  was  very  disagreeable  to  me ; 
but  I  have  learned  that  you  were  yourself 
somewhat  to  blame  in  the  affair,  and  therefore 
you  should  have  borne  the  harsh  treatment  you 
received  with  considerable  patience,  and  perhaps 
have  kept  it  quite  to  yourself.  ("  That  little 
cat  told  her,  after  all,"  said  Laura,  when  she 
read  this.  "  I  did  n't  think  she  was  that  kind.") 
Polly  would  never  have  confessed  the  cause 
of  the  quarrel,  because  she  knew  nothing  could 


230    POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY:  SECOND  HALF. 

justify  her  language;  but  Elsie  was  lying  in 
the  hammock  behind  the  tent  and  overheard 
the  remark  which  so  roused  Polly's  anger.  You 
were  not  aware,  of  course,  how  sore  a  spot  you 
touched  upon,  or  you  could  never  have  spoken 
as  you  did,  though  I  well  know  that  you  were 
both  too  angry  to  reflect.  Polly  is  a  peculiarly 
proud  and  high-spirited  girl,  —  proud,  I  con 
fess,  to  a  fault ;  but  she  comes,  on  her  mother's 
side,  from  a  long  line  of  people  who  have  had 
much  to  be  proud  of  in  the  way  of  unblemished 
honesty,  nobility,  fine  attainments,  and  splendid 
achievements.  Of  her  father's  honorable  ser 
vices  to  his  country,  and  his  sad  and  untimely 
death,  you  may  have  heard ;  but  you  may  not 
know  that  Mrs.  Oliver's  misfortunes  have  been 
very  many  and  very  bitter,  and  that  the  only  pos 
sibility  of  supporting  and  educating  Polly  lies 
at  present  in  her  taking  boarders,  for  her  health 
will  not  admit  just  now  of  her  living  anywhere 
save  in  Southern  California.  I  fail  to  see  why 
this  is  not  thoroughly  praiseworthy  and  respec 
table  ;  but  if  you  do  not  consider  it  quite  an 
elegant  occupation,  I  can  only  say  that  Mrs. 
Oliver  presides  over  the  table  at  which  her 
"  boarders "  sit  with  a  high-bred  dignity  and 
grace  of  manner  that  the  highest  lady  in  the 
land  might  imitate ;  and  that,  when  health  and 


POLLY'S  BIRTHDAY;  SECOND  HALF.    231 

circumstances  permit  her  to  diminish  the  dis 
tance  between  herself  and  the  great  world,  she 
and  her  daughter  Polly,  by  reason  of  their 
birth  and  their  culture,  will  find  doors  swing 
ing  wide  to  admit  them  where  you  and  I  would 
find  it  difficult  to  enter.  Polly  apologizes  sin 
cerely  for  her  rudeness,  and  will  write  you  to 
that  effect,  as  of  course  she  does  not  know  of 
this  letter. 

Sincerely  your  friend, 

TRUTH  WINSHIP. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

BOUND   THE   CAMP-FIRE. 

"  The  time  before  the  fire  they  sat, 
And  shortened  the  delay  by  pleasing  chat." 

August  days  had  slipped  away  one 
after  another,  and  September  was  at  hand. 
There  was  no  perceptible  change  of  weather  to 
mark  the  advent  of  the  new  month.  The  hills 
were  a  little  browner,  the  dust  a  little  deeper, 
the  fleas  a  little  nimbler,  and  the  water  in  the 
brook  a  trifle  lower,  but  otherwise  Dame 
Nature  did  not  concern  herself  with  the  change 
of  seasons,  inasmuch  as  she  had  no  old  dresses 
to  get  rid  of,  and  no  new  ones  to  put  on  for  a 
long  time  yet ;  indeed,  she  is  never  very  fash 
ionable  in  this  locality,  and  wears  very  much 
the  same  garments  throughout  the  year. 

Elsie  seemed  almost  as  strong  as  any  of  the 


ROUND   THE  CAMP-FIRE.  233 

other  girls  now,  and  could  enter  with  zest  into 
all  their  amusements.  The  appetite  of  a  young 
bear,  the  sound  dreamless  sleep  of  a  baby,  and 
the  constant  breathing  in  of  the  pure,  life-giv 
ing  air  had  made  her  a  new  creature.  Mrs. 
Howard  and  Jack  felt,  day  by  day,  that  a  bur 
den  of  dread  was  being  lifted  from  their  hearts ; 
and  Mrs.  Howard  especially  felt  that  she  loved 
every  rock  and  tree  in  the  canon. 

It  was  a  charming  morning,  and  Polly  was 
seated  at  the  dining-room  table,  deep  in  the 
preparation  of  a  lesson  in  reading  and  pro 
nunciation  for  Hop  Yet.  Her  forehead  was 
creased  with  many  wrinkles  of  thought,  and  she 
bit  the  end  of  her  lead-pencil  as  if  she  were 
engaged  in  solving  some  difficult  problem ;  but 
if  that  were  so,  why  did  the  dimples  chase  each 
other  in  and  out  of  her  cheeks  in  such  a  sus 
picious  fashion  ?  She  was  a  very  gentle,  a 
very  sedate  Polly,  these  latter  days,  and  not 
only  astonished  her  friends,  but  surprised  her 
self,  by  her  good  behavior,  her  elegant  reserve 
of  manner,  her  patience  with  Jack,  and  her 
abject  devotion  to  Dicky. 

"  I  'm  afraid  it  won't  last,"  she  sighed  to 
herself  occasionally.  "  I  'm  almost  too  good. 
That  's  always  the  way  with  me,  —  I  must 
either  be  so  bad  that  everybody  is  discouraged, 


234  ROUND   THE   CAMP-FIRE. 

or  else  so  good  that  I  frighten  them.  Now  I 
catch  Bell  and  Elsie  exchanging  glances  every 
day,  as  much  as  to  say,  'Poor  Polly,  she  will 
never  hold  out  at  this  rate ;  do  you  notice  that 
nothing  ruffles  her,  —  that  she  is  simply 
angelic  ?  '  As  if  I  could  n't  be  angelic  for 
a  fortnight !  Why  I  have  often  done  it  for 
four  weeks  at  a  stretch  !  " 

Margery  was  in  the  habit  of  giving  Hop  Yet 
an  English  lesson  every  other  day,  as  he  had 
been  very  loath  to  leave  his  evening  school  in 
Santa  Barbara  and  bury  himself  in  a  canon, 
away  from  all  educational  influences ;  but  she 
had  deserted  her  post  for  once  and  gone  to  ride 
with  Elsie,  so  that  Polly  had  taken  her  place 
and  was  evolving  an  exercise  that  Hop  Yet 
would  remember  to  the  latest  day  of  his  life. 
It  looked  simple  enough  :  — 

1.  The  grass  is  dry. 

2.  The  fruit  is  ripe. 

3.  The  chaparral  is  green. 

4.  The  new  road  is  all  right. 

5.  The  bay-"  rum  "  tree  is  fresh  and  pretty. 

But  as  no  Chinaman  can  pronounce  the  let 
ter  "  r,"  it  was  laboriously  rendered  thus,  when 
the  unhappy  time  of  the  lesson  came :  — 

1.  The-glass-is-dly. 

2.  The-fluit-is-lipe. 


ROUND   THE  CAMP-FIRE.  235 

3.  The-chap-lal-is-gleen. 

4.  The-new-load-is-all-light-ee. 

5.  The  bay-lum-tlee-is-flesh-and-plitty. 
Finally,  when  she  attempted  to  introduce  the 

sentence,  "Around  the  rough  and  rugged  rock 
the  ragged  rascal  ran,"  Hop  Yet  rose  hurriedly, 
remarking,  "  All  lightee :  I  go  no  more  school 
jus'  now.  I  lun  get  lunchee." 

Bell  came  running  down  the  path  just  then, 
and  linking  her  arm  in  Polly's  said,  "  Papa  has 
the  nicest  plan.  You  know  the  boys  are  so 
disappointed  that  Colonel  Jackson  did  n't  ask 
them  over  to  that  rodeo  at  his  cattle  ranch,  — 
though  a  summer  rodeo  is  only  to  sort  out  fat 
cattle  to  sell,  and  it  is  not  very  exciting ;  but 
papa  promised  to  tell  them  all  about  the  old- 
fashioned  kind  some  night,  and  he  has  just 
remembered  that  to-morrow  is  Admission  Day, 
September  9,  so  he  proposes  a  real  celebra 
tion  round  the  camp-fire  to  amuse  Elsie.  She 
does  n't  know  anything  about  California  even 
as  it  is  now,  and  none  of  us  know  what  it  was 
in  the  old  days.  Don't  you  think  it  will  be 
fun?" 

"  Perfectly  splendid  !  " 

"  And  papa  wants  us  each  to  contribute 
something." 

"  A  picnic  !  —  but  I  don't  know  anything." 


236  ROUND   THE  CAMP-FIRE. 

"  That 's  just  what  I  'm  coming  to.  I  have 
such  a  bright  idea.  He  said  that  we  might 
look  in  any  of  his  books,  but  Geoff  and  Jack 
are  at  them  already,  and  I  'd  like  a  surprise. 
Now  Juan  Capistrano,  an  old  vaquero  of  Colo 
nel  Jackson's,  is  over  here.  He  is. a  wonderful 
rider ;  papa  says  that  he  could  ride  on  a  comet, 
if  he  could  get  a  chance  to  mount.  It  was  he 
who  told  the  boys  that  the  rodeo  was  over. 
Now  I  propose  that  we  go  and  interview 
Pancho  and  Juan,  and  get  them  to  tell  us  some 
old  California  stories.  They  are  both  as  stupid 
as  they  can  be,  but  they  must  have  had  some 
adventures,  I  suppose,  somewhere,  sometime. 
I  '11  translate  and  write  the  things  down,  for 
my  part,  and  you  and  Margery  can  tell  them." 

"  Lovely !  Oh,  if  we  can  only  get  an  exciting 
grizzly  story,  so  that 

"  Every  one's  blood  upon  end  it  will  stand, 
And  the  hair  run  cold  in  their  veins  ! 

And  was  Dr.  Paul  out  here  when  California 
was  admitted  into  the  Union,  — 1850,  was  n't 
it?" 

"  Of  course ;  why,  my  child,  he  was  one  of 
the  delegates  called  by  General  Riley,  the  mili 
tary  governor,  to  meet  in  convention  at  Mon 
terey  and  make  a  state  constitution.  That  was 
September,  too,  —  the  first  day  of  September, 


ROUND   THE   CAMP-FIRE.  237 

1849.  He  went  back  to  the  East  some  time 
afterwards,  and  stayed  ten  or  fifteen  years ;  but 
he  was  a  real  pioneer  and  ( forty-niner '  all  the 


same." 


The  next  night,  September  9th,  was  so  cool 
that  the  camp-fire  was  more  than  ordinarily  de 
lightful  ;  accordingly  they  piled  on  more  wood 
than  usual,  and  prepared  for  a  grand  blaze.  It 
was  always  built  directly  in  front  of  the  sitting- 
room  tent,  so  that  Mrs.  Howard  and  Mrs.  Win- 
ship  could  sit  there  if  they  liked ;  but  the  young 
people  preferred  to  lie  lazily  on  their  cushions 
and  saddles  under  the  oak-tree,  a  little  distance 
from  the  blaze.  The  clear,  red  firelight  danced 
and  flickered,  and  the  sparks  rose  into  the 
sombre  darkness  fantastically,  while  the  ruddy 
glow  made  the  great  oak  an  enchanted  palace, 
into  whose  hollow  dome  they  never  tired  of 
gazing.  When  the  light  streamed  highest,  the 
bronze  green  of  the  foliage  was  turned  into 
crimson,  and,  as  it  died  now  and  then,  the  stars 
winked  brightly  through  the  thousand  tiny 
windows  formed  by  the  interlacing  branches. 

"  Well,"  said  the  doctor,  bringing  his  Chinese 
lounging-chair  into  the  circle,  and  lighting  his 
pipe  so  as  to  be  thoroughly  happy  and  comfort 
able,  "  will  you  banish  distinctions  of  age  and 
allow  me  to  sit  among  you  this  evening?" 


238  ROUND   THE   CAMP-FIRE. 

"  Certainly/'  Margery  said,  "  that 's  the  very 
point  of  the  celebration.-  This  is  Admission 
Day,  you  know,  and  why  should  n't  we  admit 
you?" 

"  True ;  and  having  put  myself  into  a  holiday 
humor  by  dining  off  Pancho's  dish  of  guisado 
(I  suppose  to-night  of  all  nights  we  must  call 
beef  and  onion  stew  by  its  local  name),  I  will 
proceed  to  business,  and  we  will  talk  about 
California.  By  the  way,  I  shall  only  conduct 
the  exercises,  for  I  feel  rather  embarrassed  by 
the  fact  that  I  've  never  killed,  or  been  killed 
by,  a  bear,  never  been  bitten  by  a  tarantula, 
poisoned  by  a  rattlesnake,  assaulted  by  a  stage- 
robber,  nor  anything  of  that  sort.  You  have 
all  read  my  story  of  crossing  the  plains.  I  even 
did  that  in  a  comparatively  easy  and  unheroic 
fashion.  I  only  wish,  my  dear  girls  and  boys, 
that  we  had  with  us  some  one  of  the  brave 
and  energetic  men  and  women  who  made  that 
terrible  journey  at  the  risk  of  their  lives. 
The  history  of  the  California  Crusaders,  the 
thirty  thousand  or  more  emigrants  who  crossed 
the  plains  in  '48  more  than  equals  the  great 
military  expeditions  of  the  Middle  Ages,  in 
magnitude,  peril,  and  adventure.  Some  went 
by  way  of  Santa  Fe  and  along  the  hills  of  the 
Gila :  others,  starting  from  Red  River,  traversed 


ROUND   THE  CAMP-FIRE.  239 

the  Great  Stake  Desert  and  went  from  El  Paso 
del  Norte  to  Sonora ;  others  went  through 
Mexico,  and,  after  spending  over  a  hundred 
days  at  sea,  ran  into  San  Diego  and  gave  up 
their  vessels ;  others  landed  exhausted  with 
their  seven  months'  passage  round  the  Horn; 
and  some  reached  the  spot  on  foot  after  walk 
ing  the  whole  length  of  the  California  penin 
sula." 

"  What  privations  they  must  have  suffered  ! " 
said  Mrs.  Howard.  "  I  never  quite  realized  it." 

"  Why,  the  amount  of  suffering  that  was 
endured  in  those  mountain  passes  and  deserts 
can  never  be  told  in  words.  Those  who 
went  by  the  Great  Desert  west  of  the  Colorado 
found  a  stretch  of  burning  salt  plains,  of  shift 
ing  hills  of  sand,  with  bones  of  animals  and 
men  scattered  along  the  trails ;  of  terrible  and 
ghastly  odors  rising  in  the  hot  air  from  the 
bodies  of  hundreds  of  mules,  and  human 
creatures  too,  that  lay  half  buried  in  the  glar 
ing  white  sand.  A  terrible  journey  indeed ; 
but  if  any  state  in  the  Union  could  be  fair 
enough,  fertile  enough,  and  rich  enough  to 
repay  such  a  lavish  expenditure  of  energy  and 
suffering,  California  certainly  was  and  is  the 
one.  Now 'who  can  tell  us  something  of  the 
name  <  California '  ?  You,  Geoffrey  ?  " 


240  ROUND    THE   CAMP-FIRE. 

"  Geoffrey  has  crammed  !  "  exclaimed  Bell 
maliciously.  "  I  believe  he  's  been  reading  up 
all  day  and  told  papa  what  question  to  ask 
him!" 

"  I  '11  pass  it  on  to  you  if  you  like,"  laughed 
Geoffrey. 

"  No,  —  you  'd  never  get  another  that  you 
could  answer !  Go  on  !  " 

"In  1534,  one  Hernando  de  Grijalva  was 
sent  by  Hernando  Cortez  to  discover  something 
or  other,  and  it  was  probably  he  who  then  saw 
the  peninsula  of  California ;  but  a  quarter  of  a 
century  before  this  a  romance  called  'Esplan- 
dian '  had  appeared  in  Spain,  narrating  the  ad 
ventures  of  an  Amazonian  queen  who  brought 
allies  from  '  the  right  hand  of  the  Indies '  to 
assist  the  infidels  in  their  attack  upon  Constan 
tinople  —  by  the  way  I  forgot  to  say  that  she 
was  a  pagan.  This  queen  of  the  Amazons  was 
called  Calafia,  and  her  kingdom,  rich  in  gold 
and  precious  stones,  was  named  California. 
The  writer  of  the  romance  derived  this  name, 
perhaps,  from  Calif,  a  successor  of  Mohammed. 
He  says:  <  Know  that  on  the  right  hand  of 
the  Indies  there  is  an  island  named  Califor 
nia,  very  close  to  the  Terrestial  Paradise,  and 
it  was  peopled  by  black  women  without  any 
man  among  them,  for  they  lived  in  the  fashion 


ROUND   THE   CAMP-FIRE.  241 

of  the  Amazonia.  They  were  of  strong  and 
hardy  bodies,  of  ardent  courage,  and  of  great 
force.  Their  island  was  the  strongest  in  all 
the  world,  with  its  steep  cliffs  and  rocky  shore. 
Their  arms  were  all  of  gold,  and  so  was  the 
harness  of  the  wild  beasts  which  they  tamed 
and  rode.  For  in  the  whole  island  there 
was  no  metal  but  gold.  They  lived  in  caves 
wrought  out  of  the  rocks  with  much  labor,  and 
they  had  many  ships  with  which  they  sailed 
out  to  other  countries  to  obtain  booty.'  Cortez 
and  Grijalva  believed  that  they  were  near  the 
coast  of  Asia,  for  they  had  no  conception  of 
the  size  of  the  world  nor  of  the  vastness  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean ;  and  as  the  newly  discovered  land 
corresponded  with  the  country  described  in  the 
romance,  they  named  the  peninsula  California." 

"My  book,"  said  Philip,  "declared  that 
the  derivation  of  the  name  was  very  uncertain, 
and  that  it  was  first  bestowed  on  one  of  the 
coast  bays  by  Bernal  Diaz." 

"  Now  Philip  !  "  exclaimed  Margery,  "  do 
you  suppose  we  are  going  to  believe  that,  after 
Geoff's  lovely  story?" 

"  Certainly  not ;  I  only  thought  I  'd  permit 
you  to  hear  both  sides.  I  knew  of  course  that 
you  would  believe  the  prettier  story  of  the 
two,  —  girls  always  do ! " 


242  ROUND   THE  CAMP-FIRE. 

"  That  is  n't  a  '  pretty  story/  your  remark  I 
mean,  so  we  won't  believe  it;  will  we,  girls?" 
asked  Bell. 

"  Now  Polly,  your  eyes  sparkle  as  if  you 
could  n't  wait  another  minute ;  your  turn 
next,"  said  Dr.  Winship. 

"  I  am  only  afraid  that  I  can't  remember  my 
contribution,  which  is  really  Bell's  and  still 
more  really  Pancho's,  for  he  told  it  to  us,  and 
Bell  translated  it  and  made  it  into  a  story. 
We  call  it  (  Valerio,  or  the  Mysterious  Moun 
tain  Cave.'  " 

"  Begins  well !  "  exclaimed  Jack. 

"  Now,  Jack,  you  must  be  nice.  Kemember 
this  is  Bell's  story,  and  she  is  letting  me  tell  it 
so  that  I  can  bear  my  share  in  the  entertain 
ment." 

"  Pancho  believes  every  word  of  it,"  added 
Bell,  "  and  says  that  his  father  told  it  to 
him ;  but  as  I  had  to  change  it  from  bad 
Spanish  into  good  English,  I  don't  know 
whether  I've  caught  the  idea  exactly." 

"  Oh,  it  will  do  quite  nicely,  I  've  no  doubt," 
said  Jack  encouragingly,  "  we  've  often  heard 
you  do  good  English  into  bad  Spanish,  and 
turn  and  turn  about  is  only  fair  play.  Don't 
mind  me,  Polly  —  I  will  be  gentle  !  " 

"  Jack,  if  you  don't  behave  yourself  I  '11  send 


ROUND   THE  CAMP-FIRE.  243 

you  to  bed/'  said  Elsie;  and  he  ducked  his 
head  obediently  into  her  lap,  as  Polly,  with  her 
hands  clasping  her  knees,  and  with  the  firelight 
dancing  over  her  bright  face,  leaned  forward 
and  told  the  Legend  of 

VALERIO,  OR  THE  MYSTERIOUS  MOUNTAIN  CAVE. 

"A  long  time  ago,  before  the  settlement 
of  Santa  Barbara  by  the  whites,  the  Mission 
padres  had  a  great  many  Indians  under  their 
control,  who  were  known  as  peons,  or  serfs. 
They  were  given  enough  to  eat,  were  not 
molested  by  the  outside  Indians,  and  were 
entirely  peaceable.  There  were  so  few  moun 
tain  passes  by  which  to  enter  Santa  Barbara 
that  they  were  easily  held,  and  of  course  the 
padres  were  anxious  to  keep  their  Indians  from 
running  away,  lest  they  should  show  the  wilder 
tribes  the  way  to  get  in  and  commit  depreda 
tions.  These  peaceable  Indians  paid  tribute  to 
intermediary  tribes  to  hold  the  passes  and  do 
their  fighting.  Those  about  the  Mission  gave 
corn  and  cereals  and  hides  and  the  products  of 
the  sea,  and  got  in  exchange  pinones  (pine 
nuts).  One  of  these  Indians,  named  Valerio, 
was  a  strong,  brave,  handsome  youth,  whose 
haughty  spirit  revolted  at  his  servitude,  and 
after  seeking  an  opportunity  for  many  weeks 


244  ROUND   THE   CAMP-FIRE. 

he  finally  escaped  to  the  Santa  Ynez  mountains, 
where  he  found  a  cave  in  which  he  hid  himself, 
drawing  himself  up  by  a  rope  and  taking  it  in 
after  him.  The  Indians  had  unlimited  belief 
in  Valerio's  mysterious  and  wonderful  powers. 
Pancho  says  that  he  could  make  himself  invis 
ible  at  will,  that  locks  and  keys  were  powerless 
against  him ;  and  that  no  one  could  hinder  his 
taking  money,  horses,  or  food.  All  sorts  of 
things  disappeared  mysteriously  by  day  and  by 
night,  and  the  robberies  were  one  and  all  laid 
to  the  door  of  Valerio.  But  after  a  while  Vale- 
rio  grew  lonely  in  his  mountain  retreat.  He 
longed  for  human  companionship,  and  at  length, 
becoming  desperate,  he  descended  on  the  Mis 
sion  settlement  and  kidnapped  a  young  Indian 
boy  named  Chito,  took  him  to  his  cave,  and  ad 
mitted  him  into  his  wild  and  lawless  life.  But 
Chito  was  not  contented.  He  liked  home  and 
comfortable  slavery  better  than  the  new,  strange 
life;  so  he  seized  the  first  opportunity,  and 
being  a  bright,  daring  little  lad,  and  fleet  of 
foot,  he  escaped  and  made  his  way  to  the  Mis 
sion.  Arriving  there  he  told  wonderful  stories 
of  Valerio  and  his  life  ;  how  his  marvelous 
white  mare  seemed  to  fly,  rather  than  gallop, 
and  leaped  from  rock  to  rock  like  a  chamois ; 
and  how  they  lived  upon  wheat  bread,  cheeses, 


ROUND   THE  CAMP-FIRE.  245 

wine,  and  other  delicacies  instead  of  the  coarse 
fare  of  the  Indians.  He  told  them  the  loca 
tion  of  the  cave  and  described  the  way  thither ; 
so  the  Alcalde  (he  was  the  mayor  or  judge, 
you  know,  Elsie),  got  out  the  troops  with  their 
muskets,  and  the  padres  gathered  the  Mission 
Indians  with  their  bows  and  arrows,  and  they 
all  started  in  pursuit  of  the  outlaw.  Among 
the  troops  were  two  hechiceros  (wizards  or  medi 
cine  men),  whose  bowed  shoulders  and  griz 
zled  beards  showed  them  to  be  men  of  many 
years  and  much  wisdom.  When  asked  to  give 
their  advice  they  declared  that  Valerio  could 
not  be  killed  by  any  ordinary  weapons,  but  that 
special  means  must  be  used  to  be  of  any  avail 
against  his  supernatural  powers.  Accordingly 
one  of  the  hechiceros  broke  off  the  head  of  his 
arrow,  cast  a  charm  over  it,  and  predicted  that 
this  would  deal  the  fatal  blow.  The  party 
started  out  with  Chito  as  a  guide,  and  after 
many  miles  of  wearisome  travel,  up  rugged 
mountain  sides  and  over  steep  and  almost  im 
passable  mountain  trails,  they  paused  at  the 
base  of  a  cliff  and  saw,  far  up  the  height,  the 
mouth  of  Valerio's  cave,  and  what  was  more, 
Valerio  himself  sitting  in  the  doorway  fast 
asleep.  Alas  !  he  had  been  drinking  too  heav 
ily  of  his  stolen  wine,  or  he  would  never  have 


246  ROUND   THE   CAMP-FIRE. 

so  exposed  himself  to  the  enemy.  They  fired  a 
volley  at  him.  One  shot  only  took  effect  and 
even  this  would  not  have  been  possible  save 
that  the  spell  was  not  upon  him  because  of  his 
sleep ;  but  the  one  shot  woke  him  and,  half 
rising,  he  staggered  and  fell  from  the  mouth 
of  the  cave  to  a  ledge  of  rocks  beneath.  He 
sprang  to  his  feet  in  a  second  and  ran  like  a 
deer  towards  a  tree  where  his  white  mare  was 
fastened.  They  fired  another  volley,  but,  though 
the  shots  flew  in  every  direction,  Valerio  passed 
on  unharmed ;  but  just  as  he  was  disappearing 
from  view  the  hechicero  raised  his  bow  and 
the  headless  arrow  whizzed  through  space  and 
pierced  him  through  the  heart.  They  clam 
bered  up  the  cliffs  with  shouts  of  triumph  and 
surrounded  him  on  every  side,  but  poor  Vale 
rio  had  surrendered  to  a  more  powerful  enemy 
than  they  !  Wonderful  to  relate,  he  still 
breathed,  though  the  wound  should  have  been 
instantly  fatal.  They  lifted  him  from  the 
ground  and  tied  him  on  his  snow-white  mare, 
his  long  hair  reaching  almost  to  the  ground, 
his  handsome  face  as  pale  as  death,  the  blood 
trickling  from  his  wound ;  but  the  mysterious 
power  that  he  possessed  seemed  to  keep  him 
alive  in  spite  of  his  suffering.  Finally  one  of 
the  hechiceros  decided  that  the  spell  lay  in  the 


ROUND   THE   CAMP-FIRE.  247 

buckskin  cord  that  he  wore  about  his  throat,  — 
a  rough  sort  of  necklace  hung  with  bears' 
claws  and  snake  rattles,  —  and  that  he  never 
would  die  until  the  magic  cord  was  cut.  This, 
after  some  consultation,  was  done.  Valerio 
drew  his  last  breath  as  it  parted  asunder,  and 
they  bore  his  dead  body  home  in  triumph  to 
the  Mission. 

"  But  he  is  not  forgotten.  Stories  are  still 
told  of  his  wonderful  deeds,  and  people  still  go 
in  search  of  money  that  he  is  supposed  to  have 
hidden  in  his  cave.  The  Mexican  women  who 
tell  suertes,  or  fortunes,  describe  the  location 
of  the  money ;  but  as  soon  as  any  one  reaches 
the  cave  he  is  warned  away  by  a  little  old  man, 
who  stands  in  the  door  and  protects  the  buried 
treasure.  An  Indian  lad,  who  was  riding  over 
the  hills  one  day  with  his  horse  and  his  dogs, 
dismounted  to  search  for  his  moccasin,  when  he 
suddenly  noticed  that  the  dogs  had  chased 
something  into  a  cave  in  the  rocks.  He  fol 
lowed,  and,  peering  into  the  darkness,  saw  two 
gleaming  eyes.  He  thrust  his  knife  between 
them,  but  struck  the  air ;  and,  though  he  had 
been  standing  directly  in  front  of  the  opening, 
so  that  nothing  could  have  passed  him,  yet  he 
heard  the  clatter  of  hoofs  and  the  tinkle  of 
spurs,  and,  turning,  saw  a  mysterious  horse- 


248  ROUND   THE  CAMP-FIRE. 

man,  whose  pale  face  and  streaming  hair  melted 
into  the  mountain  mist,  as  it  floated  down  from 
the  purple  Santa  Ynez  peaks  into  the  lap  of  the 
vine-covered  foot-hills  below." 


CHAPTER  X. 

MORE   CAMP-FIRE    STORIES. 

"  And  still  they  watched  the  flickering  of  the  blaze, 
And  talked  together  of  the  good  old  days." 

"  T>  RAV A  !  "     "  Bravissima !  "     «  Splendid, 
JD    Polly!"   exclaimed   the   boys.     "Bell, 
you  're  a  great  author  !  " 

"  Could  n't  have  done  better  myself  —  give 
you  my  word  !  "  cried  Jack,  bowing  profoundly 
to  Bell  and  Polly  in  turn,  and  presenting  them 
with  bouquets  of  faded  leaves  hastily  gathered 
from  the  ground. 

"  Polly  covered  herself  with  glory,"  said  the 
doctor;  "and  I  am  very  proud  of  your  part 
in  it,  too,  my  little  daughter.  I  have  some 
knowledge  of  Pancho's  capabilities  as  a  nar 
rator,  and  I  think  the  '  Story  of  Valerio '  owes 


250  MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES. 

a  good  deal  to  you.  Now,  who  comes  next  ? 
Margery  ?  " 

"  No,  please/'  said  Margery,  "  for  I  have 
another  story.  Take  one  of  the  boys,  and  let 's 
have  more  facts." 

"  Yes,  something  historic  and  profound,  out 
of  the  encyclopedia,  from  Jack,"  said  Polly, 
saucily. 

"  Thanks,  Miss  Oliver.  With  you  for  an 
audience  any  man  might  be  inspired ;  but "  — 

"  But  not  a  loy  ?  " 

"Mother,  dear,  remove  that  child  from  my 
sight,  or  I  shall  certainly  shake  her  !  Phil,  go 
on,  just  to  keep  Polly  quiet." 

"  Very  well.  Being  the  oldest  Californian 
present,  I "  — 

"  What  about  Dr.  Paul?"  asked  the  irrepres 
sible  Polly. 

"  He  was  n't  born  here,"  responded  Philip, 
dryly,  "  and  I  was." 

"  I  think  that 's  a  quibble,"  interrupted  Bell. 
"  Papa  was  here  twenty  years  before  you  were." 

"  It 's  not  my  fault  that  he  came  first,"  an 
swered  Philip.  "  Margery  and  I  are  not  only 
the  oldest  Californians  present,  but  the  only 
ones.  Is  n't  that  so,  sir  ?  " 

"  Quite  correct." 

"  Oh,  if  you  mean  that  way,  I  suppose  you 


MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES.  251 

are ;  but  still  papa  helped  frame  the  Constitu 
tion,  and  was  here  on  the  first  Admission  Day, 
and  was  one  of  the  Vigilantes,  —  and  I  think 
that  makes  him  more  of  a  real  Californian 
than  you.  You've  just  ' grown  up  with  the 
country.'  ' 

"  Bless  my  soul !  What  else  could  I  do  ? 
I  would  have  been  glad  to  frame  the  Constitu 
tion,  admit  the  State,  and  serve  on  the  Vigi 
lance  Committee,  if  they  had  only  waited  for 
me;  but  they  went  straight  ahead  with  the 
business,  and  when  I  was  born  there  was  noth 
ing  to  do  but  stand  round  and  criticise  what 
they  had  done,  or,  as  you  express  it,  '  grow  up 
with  the  country.'  Well,  as  I  was  saying  when 
I  was  interrupted,"  — 

"  Beg  pardon." 

"  Don't  mention  it.  Uncle  Doc  has  asked 
me  to  tell  Mrs.  Howard  and  Elsie  how  they 
carried  on  the  rodeos  ten  or  fifteen  years  ago. 
Of  course  I  was  only  a  little  chap  "  ("  Very 
little,"  murmured  his  sister),  "but  never  too 
small  to  stick  on  a  horse,  and  my  father  used 
often  to  take  me  along.  The  rodeos  nowadays 
are  neither  as  great  occasions,  nor  as  exciting 
ones,  as  they  used  to  be ;  but  this  is  the  way 
a  rodeo  is  managed.  When  the  spring  rains 
are  mostly  over,  and  the  grass  is  fine,  —  say 


252  MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES. 

in  April,  —  the  ranchero  of  a  certain  ranch 
sends  word  to  all  his  neighbors  that  he  will 
hold  a  rodeo  on  a  certain  day  or  days.  Of 
course  the  cattle  used  to  stray  all  over  the 
country,  and  get  badly  mixed,  as  there  were  no 
fences ;  so  the  rodeo  was  held  for  the  purpose 
of  separating  the  cattle  and  branding  the  calves 
that  had  never  been  marked. 

"  The  owners  of  the  various  ranches  assemble 
the  night  before,  bringing  their  vaqueros  with 
them.  They  start  out  very  early  in  the  morn 
ing,  having  had  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  ride  to 
the '  rodeo-ground/  which  is  any  flat,  convenient 
place  where  canons  converge.  Many  of  the 
cattle  on  the  hills  round  about  know  the  place, 
having  been  there  before,  and  the  vaqueros 
start  after  them  and  drive  them  to  the  spot." 

"  How  many  vaqueros  would  there  be  ? " 
asked  Elsie. 

"  Oh,  nine  or  ten,  perhaps ;  and  often  from 
one  thousand  to  three  thousand  cattle,  —  it  de 
pends  on  the  number  of  ranches  and  cattle 
represented.  Some  of  the  vaqueros  form  a 
circle  round  the  cattle  that  they  have  driven  to 
the  rodeo-ground,  and  hold  them  there  while 
others  go  back  to  the  ranch  for  breakfast  and 
fresh  horses." 

"  Fresh  horses  so  soon  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Howard. 


MORE   CAMP-FIRE  STORIES.  253 

"  I  thought  the  mustangs  were  tough,  hardy 
little  beasts,  that  would  go  all  day  without 
dropping." 

"  Yes,  so  they  are ;  but  you  always  have  to 
begin  to  '  part  out '  the  cattle  with  the  freshest 
and  best-trained  horses  you  have.  The  owners 
and  their  best  vaqueros  now  go  into  the  im 
mense  band  of  cattle,  and  try  to  get  the  cows 
and  the  unbranded  calves  separated  from  the 
rest.  You  can  imagine  what  skillful  engineer 
ing  this  takes,  even  though  you  never  saw  it. 
Two  work  together ;  they  start  a  certain  cow  and 
calf  and  work  them  through  the  band  of  cattle 
until  they  near  the  outside,  and  then  'rush' 
them  to  a  place  three  or  four  hundred  yards 
beyond,  where  other  vaqueros  are  stationed  to 
receive  and  hold  them.  Of  course  the  cattle 
don't  want  to  leave  the  band,  and  of  course 
they  don't  want  to  stay  in  the  spot  to  which 
they  are  driven." 

"  I  don't  blame  them ! "  cried  BeU  impetu 
ously.  "  Probably  the  cows  remember  the  time 
when  they  were  branded  themselves,  and  they 
don't  want  their  dear  little  bossies  put  through 
the  same  operation." 

"  Very  likely.  Then  more  cows  and  calves 
are  started  in  the  same  way ;  the  greatest  diffi 
culty  being  had  with  the  first  lot,  for  the  cattle 


254  MORE   CAMP-FIRE  STORIES. 

always  stay  more  contentedly  together  as  the 
group  grows  larger.  Occasionally  one  '  breaks ' 
and  runs  off  on  the  hills,  and  a  vaquero  starts 
after  him,  throws  the  reata  and  lassos  him,  or 
6  lass's'  him,  as  the  California  boys  say." 

"  There  must  be  frightful  accidents,"  said 
Mrs.  Winship. 

"  Yes ;  but  not  so  many  as  you  would  sup 
pose,  for  the  horsemanship,  in  its  particular 
way,  is  something  wonderful.  When  an  ugly 
steer  is  lassoed  and  he  feels  the  reata  or  lariat 
round  his  neck,  he  sometimes  turns  and  '  makes ' 
for  the  horse,  and  unless  the  vaquero  is  par 
ticularly  skillful  he  will  be  gored  and  his  horse 
too ;  but  he  gives  a  dexterous  turn  to  the 
lariat,  the  animal  steps  over  it,  gets  tangled 
and  thrown.  Frequently  an  animal  breaks  a 
horn  or  a  leg.  Sometimes  one  fall  is  not 
enough,  —  the  steer  jumps  up  and  pursues  the 
horse.  Then  the  vaquero  keeps  a  little  ahead 
of  him  and  leads  him  back  to  the  rodeo  ground 
where  another  vaquero  lassos  him  by  the  hind 
legs  and  throws  him,  while  the  reata  is  taken 
off  his  neck." 

"  There  is  another  danger  too,"  added  Dr. 
Winship.  "  The  vaquero  winds  the  reata  very 
tightly  round  the  pommel  of  his  saddle  to  hold 
the  steer,  and  he  is  likely  to  have  his  finger 
caught  in  the  hair  rope  and  cut  off." 


MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES.  255 

"  Yes,  I  forgot  that.  Two  or  three  of  the 
famous  old  vaqueros  about  Santa  Barbara  — 
Jose  Maria,  Jose  Antonio,  and  old  Clemente, 

—  have  each  lost  a  finger.     Well,  the  vaqueros 
at  length  form  in  a  circle  round  the  band  of 
selected  cattle.    The  ranch  owner  who  gives  the 
rodeo  takes  his  own  cattle  that  he  has  found, 

—  the  ones  bearing  his  brand  you  know,  —  and 
drives  them  in  with  the  ones  to  be  branded, 
leaving  in  the  rodeo-ground  the  cattle  bearing 
the  brands  of  all  the  other  rancheros.     There 
has    been     much     drinking    of     aguardiente 
(brandy)  and  everybody  by  this  time  is  pretty 
reckless.     Then  they  drive  this  selected  band 
to  the  home  corral,  the  vaqueros  yelling,  the 
cattle  '  calling,'  and   the  reatas  whizzing  and 
whistling  through  the  air.     If  any  unfortunate 
tries  to  escape  his  fate  he  is  pursued,  '  lass'd/ 
and  brought  back.     By  this  time  the  cattle  are 
pretty  well  heated  and  angry,  and  when  they 
get  into  the  crowded  corral  they  horn  each 
other  and  try  to  gore  the  horses.      A  fire  is 
then  built  in  one  corner  of  the  corral  and  the 
branding-irons  are  heated." 

"  Oh  !  hold  my  hand,  Polly,  if  the  branding 
is  going  to  begin,  I  hate  it  so,"  exclaimed 
Elsie. 

"  I  won't  say  much  about  it,  but  it 's  no  worse 


256  MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES. 

than  a  thousand  things  that  people  have  to  bear 
every  year  of  their  lives.  Animals  never  have 
to  have  teeth  filled,  for  instance,  nor  limbs  am 
putated  "  — 

"  Oh,  just  think  of  a  calf  with  a  wooden  leg, 
or  a  cow  with  false  teeth  !  Would  n't  it  be 
funny?"  laughed  Bell. 

"  They  don't  have  a  thousand  ills  that 
human  flesh  is  heir  to,  so  they  must  be  thank 
ful  they  get  off  so  easy.  Well !  the  branding- 
irons  are  heated,  as  I  say,  —  each  cattle  owner 
having  his  special  brand,  which  is  properly  re 
corded,  and  which  may  be  any  device  not  pre 
viously  used. 

Two  men  now  catch  the  calves;  one  lasso 
ing  them  by  the  head,  the  other  by  the  legs. 
A  third  man  takes  the  iron  from  the  fire  and 
brands  the  chosen  letter  or  hieroglyphic  on  the 
animal's  hind  quarter." 

"  Sometimes  on  the  fore  quarter,  don't 
they?"  asked  Bell.  "I've  seen  brands  there, 
—  your  horse  has  two,  and  our  cow  has  one 
also." 

"  Yes,  a  brand  on  the  fore  quarter  shows 
that  the  animal  has  been  sold,  but  it  always  has 
the  original  brand  on  the  hind  quarter.  When 
a  sale  is  effected,  the  new  brand  is  put  any 
where  in  front  of  the  fifth  rib,  and  this  consti- 


MORE   CAMP-FIRE  STORIES.  257 

tutes  what  they  call  a  iwnta,  or  sale.  If  you 
notice  some  of  the  little  ( plugs '  ridden  by 
Santa  Barbara  boys,  you  '11  see  that  they  bear 
half  a  dozen  brands.  By  the  way,  if  the  rodeo 
has  been  a  very  large  one  they  are  several  days 
branding  the  cattle,  so  they  are  turned  out  to 
pastorear  a  little  while  each  day." 

"  The  brand  was  absolute  sign  of  owner 
ship  you  know,  girls,"  said  Dr.  Winship,  "  and 
though  there  was  the  greatest  care  exercised  in 
choosing  and  recording  the  brands,  there  was 
plenty  of  opportunity  for  cheating.  For  in 
stance,  a  man  would  often  see  unbranded  cattle 
when  riding  about,  and  there  was  nothing  to 
prevent  his  dismounting,  building  a  fire,  heat 
ing  his  iron,  and  putting  his  own  brand  on 
them.  Then,  at  the  next  rodeo,  they  were 
simply  turned  over  to  him,  for,  as  I  say,  the 
brand  was  absolute  ownership." 

"  When  e'er  I  take  my  rides  abroad, 
How  many  calves  I  see. 
And  as  I  brand  them  properly 
They  all  belong  to  me," 

said  Bell. 

"  How  I  should  like  to  see  a  rodeo,"  sighed 
Elsie.  "  I  can't  imagine  how  the  vaqueros 
can  fling  the  reata  while  they  are  riding  at  full 
speed." 


258  MORE   CAMP-FIRE  STORIES. 

"  It  is  n't  so  very  wonderful,"  said  Polly 
nonchalantly ;  "  the  most  ordinary  people  can 
learn  it ;  why  !  your  brother  Jack  can  lasso 
almost  as  well  as  a  Mexican." 

"  And  I  can  '  lass '  any  stationary  object  my 
self,"  cried  Bell,  —  "a  hitching  post,  or  even 
a  door  knob  ;  I  can  do  it  two  or  three  times 
out  of  ten." 

"  That  shows  immense  skill,"  answered  Jack, 
"  but  as  the  thing  you  want  to  '  lass '  never 
does  stay  still,  and  as  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  catch  it  more  than  three  times  out  of  ten, 
you  probably  would  n't  make  a  name  and  for 
tune  as  a  vaquero.  Juan  Capistrano,  by  the 
way,  used  to  be  famous  with  the  lariat.  I  had 
heard  of  his  adventure  with  a  bull  on  the 
island  of  Santa  Rosa,  and  I  asked  him  about 
it  to-day ;  but  he  had  so  exhausted  himself 
telling  stories  to  Bell  that  he  had  very  few 
words  for  me.  You  see  there  was  a  bull,  on 
Santa  Rosa  island,  so  wild  that  they  wanted  to 
kill  him;  but  nobody  could  do  it,  though  he 
was  a  terror  to  any  one  who  ventured  on  the 
island.  They  called  him  '  Antiguelo/  because 
of  his  long  horns  and  long  tail.  He  was  such 
a  terrible  fighter  that  all  the  vaqueros  were 
afraid  to  lass'  him,  for  he  always  broke  away 
with  the  lariat.  You  see  a  horse  throws  a 


MORE   CAMP-FIRE  STORIES.  259 

bull  by  skill  and  not  by  strength,  of  course. 
You  can  choke  almost  any  bull;  but  this  one 
was  too  smart  !  he  would  crouch  on  his 
haunches  and  pull  back  until  the  rope  nearly 
choked  him  and  then  suddenly  ( make '  for  the 
horse.  Juan  Capistrano  had  a  splendid  horse 
—  you  see  as  much  depends  on  the  horse  as 
the  man  in  such  a  case  —  and  he  came  upon 
Antiguelo  on  the  Cerro  Negro  and  lass'd  him. 
Well,  did  he  fight?  I  asked.  < Si,  SenorJ 
Well,  what  happened  ?  '  To  lo  mate '  (I  killed 
him),  he  said,  with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders, 
and  that 's  all  I  could  get  out  of  Juan  regard 
ing  his  adventure." 

66  But   you  have  n't   done   your  share,  you 
lazy  boy,"  objected  Bell.     "  You  must  tell  us 


more." 


"  What  do  you  want  to  hear  ?  I  am  up  on 
all  the  animal  and  vegetable  life  of  Southern 
California,  full  of  interesting  information  con 
cerning  its  old  customs,  can  give  you  Spanish 
names  for  all  the  things  that  come  up  in  ordi 
nary  conversation,  and  am  the  only  man  present 
who  can  make  a  rawhide  reata,"  said  Jack, 
modestly. 

"  Go  on  and  tell  us  how,  0  great  and  wise 
reatero"  said  Bell. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  that  myself,"  said  Elsie,  "  for 


260  MORE   CAMP-FIRE  STORIES. 

I  Ve  seen  him  do  it  dozens  of  times,  when  he 
should  have  been  studying  his  little  lessons. 
He  takes  a  big  piece  of  rawhide,  cuts  a  circle 
right  out  of  the  middle,  and  then  cuts  round 
and  round  this  until  he  has  one  long  continuous 
string,  half  an  inch  wide.  He  then  stretches  it 
and  scrapes  the  hair  off  with  a  knife  or  a  piece 
of  glass,  gets  it  into  four  strands,  and  braids  it 
'round.'" 

"  Perhaps  you  think  braiding  '  round '  is 
easy  to  do,"  retorted  Jack,  in  an  injured  tone, 
"  but  I  know  it  took  me  six  months  to  learn  to 
do  it  well." 

"  I  fail  to  see,"  said  his  mother,  "  how  a 
knowledge  of  '  braiding  round'  and  lassoing 
of  wild  cattle  is  going  to  serve  you  in  your 
university  life  and  future  career." 

"Oh,  yes,  it  will.  I  shall  be  the  Buffalo 
Bill  of  Harvard,  and  I  shall  give  charming 
little  entertainments  in  my  rooms,  or  in  some 
little  garden-plot  suitable  to  the  purpose." 

"  Shall  you  make  a  point  of  keeping  up  with 
your  class  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Winship. 

"  Oh,  yes,  unless  they  go  too  fast.  My 
sports  won't  take  any  more  time  than  rowing 
or  base  ball.  They  '11  be  a  little  more  expen 
sive,  because  I  '11  have  to  keep  some  wild  cattle 
constantly  on  hand,  and  perhaps  a  vaquero  or 


MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES.  261 

two ;  but  a  vaquero  won't  cost  any  more  than 
a  valet." 

"  I  did  n't  intend  furnishing  you  with  a 
valet,"  remarked  his  mother. 

"  But  I  shall  be  self-supporting,  mother  dear. 
I  shall  give  exhibitions  on  the  campus,  and  the 
gate  money  will  keep  me  in  luxury." 

"  This  is  all  very  interesting,"  said  Polly, 
cuttingly,  "  but  what  has  it  to  do  with  Cali 
fornia,  I  'd  like  to  know  ?  " 

"  Poor  dear  !  Your  brain  is  so  weak.  Can't 
you  see  that  when  I  am  the  fashion  in  Cam 
bridge,  it  will  be  noised  about  that  I  gained 
my  marvelous  skill  in  California?  This  will 
increase  emigration.  I  don't  pretend  to  say  it 
will  swell  the  population  like  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  '48,  but  it  will  have  a  perceptible 
effect." 

"  You  are  more  modest  than  a  whole  mossy 
bank  of  violets,"  laughed  Dr.  Paul.  "  Now, 
Margery,  will  you  give  us  your  legend  ?  " 

"  Mine  is  the  story  of  Juan  de  Dios  (literally, 
Juan  of  God),  and  I  'm  sorry  to  say  that  it  has 
a  horse  in  it,  like  Polly's ;  only  hers  was  a  snow- 
white  mare,  and  mine  is  a  coal-black  charger. 
But  they  would  n't  tell  us  any  romantic  love 
stories ;  they  were  all  about  horses." 


262  MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES. 

STORY   OF   JUAN   DB    DIOS. 

"In  early  days,  when  Americans  were  coming 
in  to  Santa  Barbara,  there  were  many  cattle 
buyers  among  them;  and  there  were  large 
bands  of  robbers  all  over  the  country  who 
were  ready  to  pounce  on  these  travelers  on 
their  way  to  the  great  cattle  ranches,  kill  them, 
and  steal  their  money  and  clothes,  as  well  as 
their  horses  and  trappings.  No  one  could  un 
derstand  how  the  robbers  got  such  accurate 
information  of  the  movements  of  the  travelers, 
unless  they  had  a  spy  somewhere  near  the  Mis 
sion,  where  they  often  stopped  for  rest  and 
refreshment. 

"Now,  there  was  a  certain  young  Indian 
vaquero  in  the  employ  of  the  padres  at  La 
Mission  de  la  Purisima.  He  was  a  wonderful 
horseman,  and  greatly  looked  up  to  by  his 
brother  vaqueros,  because  he  was  so  strong, 
alert,  and  handsome,  and  because  he  was 
always  dressed  elegantly  in  rich  old  Spanish 
embroideries  and  velvets,  given  to  him,  he  said, 
by  men  for  whom  he  had  done  great  services. 

"  One  day  a  certain  traveler,  a  Spanish  offi 
cial  of  high  degree,  came  from  Monterey  to 
wed  his  sweetheart,  the  daughter  of  the  richest 
cattle  owner  in  all  the  country  round.  His 


MORE   CAMP-FIRE  STORIES.  263 

spurs  and  bit  and  bridle  were  of  solid  silver; 
his  jaquima  (halter)  was  made  of  a  hair  rope 
whose  strands  had  been  dyed  in  brilliant  colors ; 
his  tapaderos  (front  of  the  stirrups),  mochilas 
(large  leather  saddle  flaps),  and  sudaderos  (thin 
bits  of  leather  to  protect  the  legs  from  sweat), 
were  all  beautifully  stamped  in  the  fashion 
used  by  the  Mexicans  ;  his  saddle  blankets  and 
his  housings  were  all  superb,  and  he  wore  a 
broad  sombrero  encircled  with  a  silver  snake 
and  trimmed  with  silver  lace. 

"  The  traveler  stayed  at  La  Purisima  all 
night,  and  set  out  early  in  the  morning  to  ride 
the  last  forty  miles  that  separated  him  from  his 
bride.  But  Juan  and  two  other  robbers  were 
lying  in  wait  for  him  behind  a  great  rock  that 
stood  at  the  entrance  of  a  lonely  canon.  They 
appeared  on  horseback,  one  behind  the  unfor 
tunate  man  and  two  in  front,  so  that  he  could 
escape  neither  way.  They  finally  succeeded  in 
lassoing  the  horse  and  throwing  him  to  the 
ground  with  his  rider,  who  defended  himself 
bravely  with  his  knife,  but  was  finally  killed 
and  robbed,  Juan  taking  his  clothes  and  trap 
pings,  and  the  other  two  dividing  the  contents 
of  his  purse.  They  could  not  have  buried  their 
victim  as  successfully  as  usual,  or  else  they  were 
surprised,  and  had  to  escape,  for  the  body  was 


264  MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES. 

found  ;  and  Juan,  whom  the  padres  had  begun 
to  view  with  suspicion,  was  nowhere  to  be  found 
about  the  Mission.  Troops  were  sent  out  in 
pursuit  of  him,  for  this  particular  traveler  was 
a  high  official,  and  it  was  necessary  that  his 
death  should  be  avenged.  They  at  last  heard 
that  Juan  had  been  seen  going  towards  Santa 
Ynez  Mission,  and,  pursuing  him  thither,  they 
came  upon  him  as  he  was  driving  a  band  of 
horses  into  a  corral,  and  just  in  the  act  of 
catching  his  own  horse,  a  noble  and  powerful 
animal,  called  Azabache,  because  of  his  jet- 
black  color.  The  men  surrounded  the  corral, 
and  ordered  him  to  surrender.  He  begged 
them  to  wait  until  he  had  saddled  Azabache, 
and  then  they  might  shoot  them  both  down 
together.  He  asked  permission  to  call  three 
times  (pegar  tres  gritos\  and  after  the 
third  call  they  were  to  shoot.  His  last  wish 
was  granted.  He  saddled  and  mounted  his 
splendid  horse,  called  once  —  twice  —  thrice,  — 
but  when  the  last  shout  faded  in  the  air,  and 
the  troops  raised  their  muskets  to  fire,  behold, 
there  was  no  Juan  de  Dios  to  be  seen.  They 
had  been  surrounding  the  corral  so  that  no  one 
could  have  ridden  out ;  they  looked  among  the 
horses,  but  Azabache  was  nowhere  to  be  found. 
"Just  then  a  joyous  shout  was  heard,  so 


MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES.  265 

ringing  and  triumphant  that  every  man 
turned  in  the  direction  from  which  it  came. 
There,  galloping  up  the  hillside,  nearly  half 
a  mile  distant,  was  Juan  de  Dios,  mounted  on 
his  coal-black  Azabache  !  But  it  was  no  ( 
common  sunshine  that  deepened  the  gorgeous 
colors  of  his  trappings  and  danced  upon  his 
silver  spurs  till  they  glistened  like  two  great 
stars !  It  was  a  broad,  glittering  stream  of 
light  such  as  no  mortal  had  ever  seen  before 
and  which  almost  blinded  the  eyes ;  and  over 
this  radiant  path  of  golden  sunbeams  galloped 
Juan  de  Dios,  until  he  disappeared  over  the 
crest  of  the  mountain.  Then  the  light  faded  : 
the  padres  crossed  themselves  in  silence  and 
went  home  to  their  Mission  !  and  Juan  de  Dios 
never  was  heard  of  more."  Bancroft  Library 

Modest  little  Margery  was  hailed  with  such 
cheers  that  you  could  not  have  seen  her  cheeks 
for  the  blushes ;  and,  just  as  the  party  began  to 
think  of  forsaking  the  fascinating  camp-fire  for 
bed,  Bell  jumped  up  impetuously  and  cried, 
"Here  Philip,  give  me  the  castanets,  please. 
Polly  and  Jack,  you  play  ( Las  Palomas '  for  me 
and  I  '11  sing  and  show  you  the  dance  of  that 
pretty  Mexican  girl  whom  I  saw  at  the  ball 
given  under  the  Big  Grape  Vine.  Wait  till  I 
take  off  my  hair  ribbon,  —  lend  me  your  scarf, 
-  now  begin  !  " 


266 


MORE  CAMP-FIRE  STORIES. 


LAS  PALOMAS.* 
(THE  DOVES.) 


Cua  -  tro  pa  -  lo  -  mi  -  tas   blan  -  cas  que    vie  - 

3 


nen    de  por  a    -    lla. 


U  -  nas  a  las   o  -  tras 


di  -  cen  no  hay  a  -  mor  como  el  de  a  -  ca. 


It  is  barely  possible,  but  not  likely,  that  any 
thing  prettier  than  Bell's  Mexican  danza  was 
to  be  seen  under  the  light  of  the  September 
stars  that  night ;  although  they  were  doubtless 
shining  down  upon  a  thousand  lovely  things. 
With  all  the  brightness  of  her  loosened  hair 
rising  and  falling  with  the  motion  of  her  sway 
ing  figure,  —  with  her  twinkling  feet,  her  crim 
son  cheeks  and  parted  lips,  she  looked  the  very 
spirit  of  the  dance,  and  her  enraptured  audience 
only  allowed  her  to  stop  when  she  was  absolutely 
breathless. 

"  Oh !  what  a  beautiful  evening ! "  exclaimed 

*  Four  little  white  doves  began  to  coo, 
To  coo  to  their  mates  so  fair  ; 
And  each  to  the  other  dove  said  "your  coo 
With  mine  cannot  compare! " 


MORE   CAMP-FIRE   STORIES.  267 

Elsie,  when  the  celebration  was  finally  over. 
"  Was  there  ever  such  a  dear,  dear  canon  with 
such  dear  people  in  it !  If  it  only  would  n't 
rain  and  we  could  live  here  forever  1 " 

"  Rain,  rain,  stay  away  ! 
Come  again  another  day, 
Little  Elsie  wants  to  play," 

recited  Polly,  and  then  everybody  went  to  their 
straw  beds. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

BREAKING    CAMP. 

"The  thirsty  earth  soaks  up  the  rain 
And  drinks  and  gapes  for  drink  again  ; 
The  plants  suck  in  the  earth  and  are, 
With  constant  drinking,  fresh  and  fair." 

BUT  it  did  rain  ;  and  it  did  n't  wait  until 
they  were  out  of  the  canon,  either.  It 
began  long  before  the  proper  time,  and  it  by  no 
means  confined  itself  to  a  shower,  but  opened 
the  winter  season  fully  a  month  before  there 
was  any  need  of  it,  and  behaved  altogether  in  a 
most  heartless  and  inconsiderate  manner,  like  a 
very  spoil-sport  of  a  rain. 

It  began  after  dark,  so  as  to  be  just  as  dis- 


BREAKING  CAMP.  269 

agreeable  as  possible,  and  under  the  too  slight 
cover  of  their  tents  the  campers  could  hear  the 
rush  and  the  roar  of  it  like  the  tramping  of 
myriad  feet  on  the  leaves.  Pancho  and  the 
two  Chinamen  huddled  under  the  broad  syca 
mores  in  their  rubber  blankets,  and  were  dry 
and  comfortable ;  but  all  the  waterproof  tents 
leaked,  save  Elsie's. 

But  when  it  was  dawn,  the  Sun,  having 
heard  nothing  apparently  of  any  projected 
change  in  the  weather,  rose  at  the  usual  time 
in  the  most  resplendent  fashion,  —  brighter, 
rosier,  and  more  gloriously,  if  you  will  believe 
me,  than  he  had  risen  that  whole  long  sunshiny 
summer  !  And  he  really  must  have  felt  paid 
for  getting  up  at  such  an  unearthly  hour  in 
the  morning,  when,  after  he  had  clambered 
over  the  gray  mountain  peaks,  he  looked  down 
upon  Las  Flores  Canon,  bathed  in  the  light  of 
his  own  golden  beams. 

If  he  knew  anything  about  Ancient  History 
and  Biblical  Geography,  —  and  if  he  did  n't  I 
don't  know  who  should,  inasmuch  as  he  had 
been  present  from  the  beginning  of  time,  —  he 
must  have  thought  it  as  fair  as  the  Garden  of 
Eden ;  for  Nature's  face  simply  shone  with 
cleanliness,  like  that  of  a  smiling  child  just 
fresh  from  its  bath,  and  every  leaf  of  every 


270  BREAKING  CAMP. 

tree  glistened  as  he  beamed  upon  it,  and  shook 
off  its  crystal  drops  that  he  might  turn  them 
into  diamonds. 

"  It  -was  only  a  shower/'  said  Dr.  Winship, 
as  he  seated  himself  on  a  damp  board  and  par 
took  of  a  moist  breakfast,  "  and  with  this  sun 
the  tents  will  be  dry  before  night;  Elsie  has 
caught  no  cold,  the  dust  will  be  laid,  and  we 
can  stay  another  week  with  safety." 

Everybody  was  hilarious  over  this  decision 
save  the  men-of-all-work,  who  longed  unspeak 
ably  for  a  less  poetic  existence,  —  Hop  Yet, 
particularly,  who  thought  camping  out  "not 
muchee  good." 

Dicky  was  more  pleased  than  anybody,  per 
haps,  as  every  day  in  the  canon  was  one  day 
less  in  school;  not  that  he  had  ever  been  to 
school,  but  he  knew  in  advance,  instinctively, 
that  it  wouldn't  suit  him.  Accordingly  he 
sought  the  wettest  possible  places  and  played 
all  day  with  superhuman  energy.  He  finally 
found  Hop  Yet's  box  of  blueing  under  a  tree, 
in  a  very  moist  and  attractive  state  of  fluidity, 
and  just  before  dinner  improved  the  last  shin 
ing  hour  by  painting  himself  a  brilliant  hue 
and  appearing  at  dinner  in  such  a  fiendish 
guise  that  he  frightened  the  family  into  fits. 

Now   Dr.    Winship   was    one    of   the   most 


BREAKING  CAMP.  271 

weather-wise  men  in  California,  and  his  predic 
tions  were  always  quite  safe  and  sensible ;  but 
somehow  or  other  it  did  rain  again  in  two  or 
three  days,  and  it  poured  harder  than  ever, 
too.  To  be  sure,  it  cleared  promptly,  but  the 
doctor  was  afraid  to  trust  so  fickle  a  person  as 
the  Clerk  of  the  Weather  had  become,  and 
marching  orders  were  issued. 

The  boys  tramped  over  all  their  favorite  bits 
of  country,  and  the  girls  visited  all  their  best 
beloved  haunts,  every  one  of  them  dear  from  a 
thousand  charming  associations.  They  looked 
for  the  last  time  in  Mirror  Pool,  and  saw  the 
reflection  of  their  faces,  —  rather  grave  faces 
just  then,  over  the  leave-taking. 

The  water-mirror  might  have  been  glad  to 
keep  the  picture  forever  on  its  surface,  —  Mar 
gery  with  her  sleek  braids  and  serene  forehead ; 
Polly,  with  saucy  nose  and  mischievous  eyes, 
laughing  at  you  like  a  merry  water-sprite ; 
Bell,  with  her  brilliant  cheeks  glowing  like  two 
roses  just  fallen  in  the  brook ;  and  Gold  Elsie, 
who,  if  you  had  put  a  frame  of  green  leaves 
about  her  delicate  face  and  yellow  locks,  would 
have  looked  up  at  you  like  a  water-lily. 

They  wafted  a  farewell  to  Pico  Negro,  and 
having  gotten  rid  of  the  boys,  privately  em 
braced  a  certain  Whispering  Tree  under  whose 


272  BREAKING   CAMP. 

singing  branches  they  had  been  wont  to  lie 
and  listen  to  all  the  murmuring  that  went  on 
in  the  forest. 

Then  they  clambered  into  the  great  thorough- 
brace  wagon,  where  they  all  sat  in  gloomy 
silence  for  ten  minutes,  while  Dicky's  tan  ter 
rier  was  found  for  the  fourth  time  that  morn 
ing  ;  and  the  long  train,  with  its  baggage  carts, 
its  saddle  horses  and  its  dogged  little  pack 
mules,  moved  down  the  rocky  steeps  that  led  to 
civilization.  The  gate  that  shut  them  in  from 
the  county  road  and  the  outer  world  was 
opened  for  the  last  time,  and  shut  with  a 
clang,  and  it  was  all  over,  —  their  summer  in  a 
canon ! 


330 


